September 2, 1897] 



NATURE 



425 



the inquiries made, the various railway companies on which 

 observing parties would have to travel have very liberally 

 promised to make considerable reductions from their usual rates 

 of fares, and for carriage of luggage, instruments, camp furniture, 

 &c., to all bona fide observers and observing parlies. Thus the 

 Southern Mahratta Railway, running in the West of India, offer 

 to give free passes to all observers ; the Great Indian Peninsular 

 Railway will allow all parties of observers to travel at half rates 

 on ordinary trains ; and the East Indian, Bengal and North- 

 western and Bengal Nagpore Railways will make a reduction of 

 25 per cent, from their fares, &c., to observers and observing 

 parties. 



It must not, however, be thought that the conditions in India 

 for parties travelling are the same as in England or Europe 

 generally. Food can be had at the various refreshment rooms 

 on all the main lines of railway, but on the branch lines the 

 passenger has frequently to carry his own food. Again, all first 

 and second class passengers travelling at night in Indian railways 

 are entitled to a sleeping berth without extra charge ; but each 

 passenger must provide his own pillows, rugs, &c., if he wishes to 

 be comfortable. 



Again, in the matter of accommodation for visitors, conditions 

 in Indian towns and villages are very different from those in 

 Europe. At such towns as Calcutta, Bombay and Benares hotel 

 accommodation is fairly plentiful ; but even here at certain seasons 

 of the year the demand is larger than the supply, and rooms 

 should be engaged beforehand. 



Except at such large towns as those mentioned, or at places 

 on the usual route of tourists, hotels are not to be found, and 

 in the great majority of cases travellers in India have to make 

 their own arrangements for living and accommodation. At the 

 headquarters stations in the various districts into which India is 

 divided, it is true that Government keeps up small houses called 

 district or travellers' bungalows, or in Bengal called dak 

 bungalows. Travellers' bungalows are to found at Ratnagiri, 

 also at Indapur and Kumbhargaon in the Sholapur district, 

 Sataia (probably), Nagpore, Ghazipur (empty bungalows), 

 Roberlsganj (near Mirzapur), Ballia (near Buxar), Chupra, &c. 

 Such bungalows usually contain three or four rooms and are 

 provided with necessary, but not luxurious furniture, and a few 

 servants are in attendance. A small fee is charged for residence ; 

 but in the event of a stay of more than twenty-four hours being 

 made, a new arrival has a prior claim to be accommodated over 

 the older residents. The servants at these bungalows can 

 usually provide plain food. Small waiting rooms are to be 

 found at most of the stations on the various lines of railway 

 crossing the path of the eclipse ; and the railway companies 

 would probably allow observers to occupy these, but in such 

 cases travellers would have to make their own arrangements for 

 living and sleeping, tailing travellers' bungalows or the wait- 

 ing rooms at stations, the only plan would be to camp out, and 

 this will probably have to be done in the great majority of cases. 

 Tents and camp furniture can be purchased, and in some cases 

 hired at large towns in India ; and in addition the Government 

 of India in the Military Department have promised to lend tents 

 and the ordinary articles of camp furniture as far as they may 

 be available for the use of bond fide scientific observers who may 

 come out to India for the purpose of witnessing the total eclipse 

 of the sun. Probably, also, tents could be procured in some 

 instances from the Magistrates and Collectors and other officials 

 of districts who would be certain to give every assistance in 

 their power to observing parties. Here, again, arrangements 

 would have to be made by each party or person as to servants, 

 commissariat, &c. If any station were selected at a distance 

 from large towns or headquarters of districts, arrangements for 

 food would have to be made beforehand, for only things like 

 fowls, eggs, milk, rice, &c., can be purchased at the smaller 

 stations. Indian servants can, however, always be procured 

 who are accustomed to camp life, and who can take the greater 

 part of the responsibility in making such arrangements. 



In a few cases the easily accessible sites near to lines of 

 railway communication are situated in districts where there are 

 European Indigo and other factories. This is especially the 

 case in Bengal, where the line of totality actually passes through 

 Tirhoot, &c. The managers and other European gentlemen in 

 charge of such factories have a well-deserved reputation for 

 almost boundless hospitality, and an observing party stationed in 

 such a district would be certain of a warm and hearty welcome. 

 The districts, however, in which European planters reside in 

 India are, unfortunately for travellers, comparatively few, 



NO. 1453, VOL. 56] 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 



Toronto, August i8. 

 "\\rE are now at the opening day of the meeting, and the various 

 parties of members have converged upon Toronto from 

 different directions. The President, the President-elect, and a 

 number of others, including most of the sectional officers, crossed 

 in the Parisian, leaving Liverpool on August 5. During the 

 voyage an Anthropometrical Laboratory was ojjened, and the 

 heads of the Parisians were duly measured and recorded. Tow- 

 nets were worked continuously day and night from the Irish 

 Sea to the St. Lawrence, so as to obtain a section across the 

 plankton of the North Atlantic. 



Lord Lister, Sir John Evans, and the other members of the 

 party from the Parisian visited Montreal on Monday, and met 

 with a most cordial reception from the Governors, Principal and 

 Fellows of the McGill University. After an address of welcome 

 the party was taken round the splendidly equipped College 

 laboratories, was entertained to luncheon, and was then taken 

 for a drive round the town. Ottawa, with its Government 

 experimental farm, its important Geological Museum, and its 

 extensive timber-yards and saw-mills, was visited yesterday, 

 when Prof Robertson of the Agricultural Department, Prof. 

 Bovey of McGill University, the Mayor of Ottawa, and some 

 other citizens kindly enabled the visitors to see as much as- 

 possible in the time. 



Toronto, we have been told, owes its name to the Indians, 

 who originally called it "a place of meetings." To us it seems 

 excellently suited for a place of meeting at the present day. 

 The convenient system of electric tram-cars, the ample accom- 

 modation for sectional and other meetings, the natural objects- 

 of interest around, the enthusiasm and hospitality of the in- 

 habitants, combine to give all the necessary local elements for a 

 successful meeting. 



The meeting, of course, will not be a very large one. The 

 number is now about i loo, which may be regarded as satisfactory. 

 The Massey Hall, in which the presidential address and the 

 evening lectures will be delivered, is a splendid building — 

 probably unnecessarily large for the audience. The reception 

 room and the sectional meeting rooms are located in the various 

 buildings of the University, surrounded by fine grounds. The 

 Secretarium, in the same park, occupies the Wycliffe College, 

 where Prof, and Mrs. Macallum act as hosts. In addition to- 

 private hospitality, there is a full list of garden-parties and 

 excursions. The local authorities and the railway, steamboat 

 and telegraph companies have with great liberality given 

 abundant facilities for travel and intercommunication to their 

 visitors from Europe. 



This aflerncon a formal welcome will be given to the Associa- 

 tion by his Excellency the Governor-General, and by the Mayor 

 and Council of Toronto. We find that the presidential address- 

 to-night, and the sectional addresses to-morrow, are being 

 looked forward to by our hosts with keen interest. In order to 

 enable those members who take a general rather than a special 

 interest to hear as many of the presidential addresses as possible, 

 the Sectional Committees have wisely, by re-arrangement of 

 programmes, dovetailed the addresses so as to have less clashing 

 than usual. For example, in the Biological Sections the address 

 in I will take place at 10.30, that in D at 11.30, while those of 

 H and K have been postponed till the following forenoon. 



One hears in every section that the prospect of papers and 

 interesting matter for discussion is good ; a fair number of papers 

 are contributed by Canadians and Americans, and the work in 

 several of the sections has distinct reference to the country in 

 which we are meeting. W. A. Herdman. 



SECTION H. 

 anthropology. 

 Opening Address by Prof. Sir William Turner, M.B.» 

 LL.D , D.C.L., D.Sc, F.R.SS., L. and E., President 

 OF THE Section. 



Some Distinctive Characters of Human Structure. 



When the British Association for the Advancement of Science 

 held its first Canadian meeting at Montreal in 1884, the subject 

 of Anthropology, or the Science of Man, attained on that 

 occasion for the first time the rank of an independent Section. 



It was presided over by the accomplished writer and learned 

 anthropologist. Dr. E. B. Tylor, who selected as the subject- 



