468 



NATURE 



[December 24, 1914 



of what he termed "orj^anic polarity," must be 

 dependent upon like causes. In accounting for the 

 lower forms of livings matter, therefore, we may 

 suppose, as he says,* that their "organic molecOles 

 of each kind, no matter how complex, have a form 

 of equilibrium in which, when they aggregate, their 

 complex forces are balanced." 



H. Charlton Bastian. 



SMITHSONIAN GEOLOGICAL EXPLORA- 

 TIONS. 



DURING the past year, the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion was represented in the field by nineteen 

 parties and individuals engaged in the collection of 

 data relative to astrophysics, geology, biology, and 

 anthropology, besides nine representatives of the 

 Bureau of American Ethnology, who secured informa- 

 tion relative to the American Indian. While most of 

 the e.xploration occurred in the United States, con- 

 siderable work was carried on in Canada, the West 

 Indies, Peru, Switzerland, Borneo, Cashmere, Egypt, 

 Greece, and Italy. 



A recent publication of the institution describing 

 the various explorations, includes a report on the 

 Palaeontological field-work of the secretary. Dr. C. D. 

 Walcott, in the Canadian Rockies, near the Robson 

 Peak district in British Columbia and Alberta, and in 

 Field, British Columbia. The mountainous scenery 

 in the former region is quite alpine in appearance, 

 including snow-capped and glacier-covered peaks 

 w-hich tower 7500 to 9800 ft. above Lake Kinney, itself 

 some 3000 ft. above sea-level. On this trip Dr. Wal- 

 cott's party approached from the west in order to 

 studv the invertebrate fossils in this section, which 

 he considers one of the finest in the world. At the 

 base of the mountain at Lake Kinney, there exist 

 fossil beds, 4000 ft. or more in thickness, where a 

 number of important ancient Cambrian fossil fauna 

 were secured, as well as many examples of the species 

 found in 19 12. At Field, work was carried on in the 

 great Cambrian fossil quarry, where, after blasting 

 out the solid beds to a depth of 22 ft., a fine collection 

 for the U.S. National Museum was secured. 



Another geological research party was also in the 

 field for fossils, but, instead of the very early forms 

 of life sought by Dr. Walcott, this second party, 

 under the direction of Mr. J. W. Gidley, was in search 

 of fossil mammals from a later epoch. In this con- 

 nection, the party again excavated in the Pleistocene 

 cave deposit near Cumberland, Maryland, discovered 

 in 1912, and found many new forms of mammals, and 

 more complete remains of several species represented 

 in the first collection solely by jaw fragments. The 

 collection now numbers about 300 specimens, which 

 represent forty or more distinct types of hitherto un- 

 described animals, many of which are now extinct, 

 including the bear, peccary, wolverine, badger, mar- 

 tin, porcupine, woodchuck, dog and the American 

 eland-like antelope. Other specimens found in less 

 complete form were the mastodon, tapir, horse, and 

 beaver, besides several smaller rodents, shrews, and 

 bats. All these different animal remains occur inter- 

 mingled and comparatively thickly scattered through 

 the deposits of this ancient limestone cave, which was 

 exposed bv a cut made by the Western Maryland Rail- 

 road, and reported to the museum by Mr. Armbruster. 

 Mr. Gidley is pursuing his studies in identifying these 

 different remains, and expects to continue his excava- 

 tions from time to time. 



Mr. C. W. Gilmore, of the National Museum, con- 



•• "Piinciples of B'ologv " (revised pdition, 1898), vol. i., Appendix D, 

 p. 704. 



NO. 2356, VOL. 94] 



ducted explorations in the north-w'estern part of Mon- 

 tana, where some vertebrate fossil bones were dis- 

 covered by a member of the Geological Survey in 1912. 

 A total of more than 500 separate fossil bones w-as 

 collected, among them a nearly complete skeleton of a 

 new Ceratopsian or horned dinosaur, the smallest 

 known of the great horned reptiles, and the first to 

 be found having a complete articidated tail and hind- 

 foot. Another find was a partial skeleton of the new 

 Trachodont or duck-billed dinosaur, recently described 

 from specimens obtained in Canada. 



Dr. R. S. Bassler spent some time in the Appa- 

 lachian \';ilk'\ of Maryland studyintr the post-Palaeo- 

 zoic geologic history of the region as indicated by the 

 present surface conditions, under the auspices of the 

 U.S. National Museum, and the Maryland Geological 

 Survey. 



Another field research party which concerned the 

 collection of fossils was maintained in Illinois by Mr. 

 F. Springer, in connection with the preparation of 

 his monograph on the fossil crinoidea, and to add to 

 the museum collections of these fossil invertebrate 

 marine animals. The field-work was undertaken in 

 co-operation with the geological work of the State of 

 Illinois, in order that the horizons from which these 

 fossils were taken might be definitely determined. 

 This resulted in securing several large cases of mate- 

 rial, among which were several very large slabs con- 

 taining numbers of specimens. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Dr. E. G. Fearnsides, Miss F. M. G. Mickle- 

 thwait, and Dr. E. P. Poulton have been elected 

 to Beit Memorial Fellowships for Medical Research. 

 Each fellowship is of the annual value of 250L 



The third annual conference of educational asso- 

 i ciations will be held from Januarv -1 to January 9, 

 j 1915, at the University of London, South Kensington. 

 The inaugural address on the principles of educa- 

 tional science will be given by Bishop Welldon. In 

 addition to the addresses and' discussions in connec- 

 tion with the meetings of the Geographical Associa- 

 tion, to which attention was directed in our issue of 

 last week, mention may be made of the following 

 contributions to the conference. At the meeting of 

 the Froebel Society on January 4 Prof. J. J. Findlay 

 will speak on educative toys and apparatus. On 

 Januar}- 5 the Rev. Canon 'Masterman's presidential 

 address to the Teachers' Guild will be on education 

 for national service. The Provisional Committee for 

 the Development of Regional Survey will meet on 

 January 6, and a number of speeches will be delivered 

 on regional survev in relation to education. During 

 the evening of this date the School Nature Study 

 Union will meet, and Mr. E. E. Unwin will speak 

 on nature-studv and the teacher. On January 8 the 

 Science Teachers' Association , holds its meeting, and 

 Miss Muriel Robertson will speak on some sleeping 

 sickness problems in Uganda; and on the same day 

 Dr. G. R. Parkin will address the Association of 

 Assistant-mistresses on the responsibilities of Empire. 



The annual Convocation of the Allahabad Univer- 

 sity for conferring degrees was held in November. 

 The Chancellor, Sir James Meston, delivered an 

 address which is reported in the issue of the Pioneer 

 Mail for November 20. Towards the end of his re- 

 marks he said : — " My sole aim is the greater efficiency 

 of our L'niversitv. Now there are two kinds of 

 efficiencv. One kind, wrongly so called, seeks for a 

 mechanical perfection, an official symmetry, a 

 standardising of work and ideals with little thought 



