July i8, 1918] 



NATURE 



395 



THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION. 

 OO.ME evidence of the desirability of our educational 

 •-^ institutions " carrying on " in war-time is afforded 

 by the excellent results achieved at the annual con- 

 ference of the Museums Association, held at the 

 Town Hall, Manchester, on July 9-1 1. In view of 

 the difficulty of entert;»inment, etc., the conference 

 was curtailed to three days, but as a result of the 

 lengthy sessions each morning and afternoon, and 

 on one evening, probably more actual work was 

 crowded in the three days than during any previous 

 conference. It was remarkably well attended, there 

 being about eighty delegates from England, Scotland, 

 Wales, and Ireland. To the great regret of the 

 members, the president, Mr. E. Rimbault Dibdin, 

 was prevented through illness from attending and 

 giving his address. This was particularly unfortunate 

 in view of the recent efforts of the association to give 

 more prominence to matters connected with the art 

 side of museum work, an aspect which was possibly 

 partly neglected by the association in years gone bv. 

 However, by the efforts of the local secretary, Mr. 

 Ha ward, and the general secretary, Mr. J. Grant 

 Murray, this aspect of the association's work was well 

 to the fore. 



The members had the usual experience of hearing 

 a few papers on elementary museum matters, mostly 

 by local authors, but one result of' the association's 

 propaganda during the last quarter of a century was 

 amusing. For years the association has endeavoured 

 to make the education committees interested in the 

 museums, and has advocated the appointment of 

 special teachers to devote their time entirely to giving 

 lectures to pupils in museums and art galleries. This 

 has at last been accomplished at Manchester, and, 

 possibly through being unaware of the association's 

 efforts, the various teachers concerned gave details of 

 the nature of their work. The value of museums in 

 war-time was brought prominently forward, and no doubt 

 impressed the various chairmen and members of com- 

 mittees who were present. Bearing more particularly 

 upon the war were: — "The Aims and Objects of the 

 Imperial War Museum," by Lieut. Charles ffoulkes, 

 and "Local War Museums," by Mr. Charles Madelev. 

 [dealing with educational aspects of museums were :— 

 "The Art Museum and the School," by Mr. J. Ernest 

 Phvthian ; "The Museum in Relation to the School," 

 bv'Ca) Mr. R. Saunsbury, (b) Mrs. B. Bell, and (c) 

 Miss B. HindshaW ; the art side of museum work 

 being represented by "The Preservation. Cataloguing, 

 and Educational Value of Print Collections," bv Mr. 

 Isaac J. Williams: "The Museum in Relation to 

 Art and Industry," by (a) Mr. Henry Cadness, (b) Mr. 

 H. Barrett Carpenter; "The Application of .'Xrt to 

 Industry and its Re'ation to Museum Work," by Mr. 

 .S. E. Harrison; ".Art Museums," by Mr. Fitzgerald 

 Falkner; and "Material and Design in Relation to 

 Craftsmanship." by Mr. Joseph Burton. 



The more general subjects dealt with were: — "The. 

 Museum and Trade." by Mr. Thos. Midgley ; " .\ Plea 

 for the District Federation of Museums and .\rt Gal- 

 leries." by Mr. Robert Bateman ; " Arrangement of 

 an Ethnoj?raDhiral Collection," by Mr. Ben H. 

 Mullen ; " Local Museums and their Rdle in National 

 Life," bv Mr. Louis P. W. Renouf ; and "Museum and 

 Art Gallery Finances." by Mr. E. E. Lowe; a little 

 relief being given to the somewhat serious proceedings 

 bv a humorous paper on " Packing and Removing a 

 Museum of Geology and Antiquities in War-time," 

 l)v Mr. Thos. Sheppard. 



Before and after the meetings many members visited 

 the museums and art galleries for which the Man- 

 chester district is so famous. There was an informal 



NO. 2542, VOL. lOl] 



dinner at the conference headquarters, the Grand 

 Hotel, on July 10, under the chairmanship of Dr. 

 W. E. Hoyle, and the Lord Mayor of Manchester 

 provided tea for the members at the Town Hall each 

 day. The president for next year is Sir Henry H. 

 Howarth, and the hon. secretary Mr. W. Grant 

 Murray, of Swansea. At the council meeting, held 

 at the close ot the conference, it was agreed that the 

 association should meet again next year. 



ECONOMIC RESOURCES OF NEW SOUTH 



WALES. 

 'HT HE report of the curator, Mr. R. T. Baker, of the 

 ■*■ New South Wales Technological Museums for the 

 year 19 16 shows that these museums are accomplish- 

 ing much useful work in adding to our knowledge 

 of the economic resources of New South Wales and in 

 securing the better utilisation of these resources. In- 

 creased attention is being given to the native timbers 

 of the Colony, especially for the manufacture of furni- 

 ture, and the museums staff has been able to assist 

 in this direction by supplying technical information 

 regarding the timbers and by adding to the exhibits 

 numerous examples of Australian workmanship in 

 home-grown timber. An elaborate illustrated mono- 

 graph on the fishes of Australia and their technology 

 was published during the year by Mr. T. C. Roughley. 

 This is designed to meet the large demand that has 

 arisen with the development of Australian fisheries 

 for accurate information regarding the edible fishes of 

 the country. The book also describes the methods in 

 use in the New South Wales fishing industry. A 

 good deal of research work has been accomplished 

 in spite of the difficulties caused by the war, and the 

 staff has taken part, either in an advisory or execu- 

 tive capacity, in several investigations arranged by the 

 various committees that have been formed in Australia 

 for the promotion of munition manufacture or the 

 development of industrial and scientific research. 

 These include an investigation of the use of grass-tree 

 resins as a source of picric acid {New South Wales 

 Munitions Comm.ittee) and an inquiry into the 

 economic possibilities of posiidonia fibre (Execu- 

 tive Committee of Science and Industry), two 

 subjects which have long attracted attention both in 

 this country and Australia. Perhaps the best known 

 work of the museums is that on the eucalypts, and 

 it is interesting to note that among the papers pub- 

 lished during the year two more on this subject were 

 included, the first on the eucalypts of South Australia 

 and their essential oils, and the other on the essential 

 oil of E. Macarthuri. 



N 



THE TORNADOES OF THE UNITED 

 STATES A 



ATURE of a Tornado.— The relation of a tornado 

 to human life and property depends upon its 

 nature. What it does is determined by what it 15. 

 Briefly stated, a tornado is a very intense, progressive 

 whirl, of small diameter, with inflowing winds which 

 increase tremendously in velocity as they near the 

 centre, developing there a counter-clockwise, vorlicular, 

 ascensional movement the violence of which exceeds 

 that of any other known storm. From the violently 

 agitated main-cloud mass above there usually hang's 

 a writhing, funnel-shaped cloud, swinging to and fro, 

 rising and descending. With a frightful roar comes 

 the whirl, advancing almost always towards the north- 



1 By Prof. Robert DeC. Ward, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.. 

 U.S.A. Abridged by the author (rom the Quarterly Journal of the Royal 

 Meteorological Society, vol. xliii., No. 183, July, 1917. 



