204 



NATURE 



[July 2, 189] 



view to suggesting some explanation of the extraordinary 

 asymmetry of the latter. Mr. WiUey thinks that a cause 

 of the one-sided position of the mouth and of the primary 

 series of gill-slits in the Amphioxus larva may be found in 

 the excessive anterior prolongation of the notochord at 

 an early period of development, necessitating a pushing 

 to either one side or the other of the mouth. There 

 appears to be nothing in the mode of life of the larva — 

 a free-swimming ciliated creature — which can be corre- 

 lated with its asymmetry. The gradual process of " sym- 

 metrization," by which the Amphioxus establishes more or 

 less completely a bilateral symmetry on its way to the 

 adult form, is exactly the converse of that process by 

 which the symmetrical larva of the Pleuronectid fishes 

 becomes one-sided ; but in the latter case the asymmetry 

 is clearly correlated with a peculiar life on the sea bottom, 

 whilst in the former case we can discover no such relation 

 to environment. E. R. L. 



THE CARDIFF MEETING OF THE BRITISH 



ASSOCIATION. 

 'X'O arrange for the reception of the members of the 

 -*- British Association who will visit CardilT in August 

 next, an influential Local Committee has been formed, 

 with the Most Honourable the Marquis of Bute, K.T., 

 Mayor of Cardiff", as Chairman, and a substantial sum has 

 been subscribed for the purpose of defraying the cost of 

 the meeting. 



Several sub-committees have been formed, all of which 

 report to the Executive Committee, to which also the 

 Council of the British Association has assigned the duty 

 of electing new members and associates. Up to the pre- 

 sent time 7 life members have been added, and over 200 

 annual members and associates, and as the time for the 

 meeting approaches the number of new members and 

 associates will be largely increased. 



It may be convenient to describe what has been done 

 by the sub-committees, so as to give a systematic account 

 of the preparations already made and in progress to 

 provide for the comfort and entertainment of our expected 

 visitors. 



(i) Hospitality and Lodgings. — Many of the principal 

 residents in Cardifif and the neighbourhood have signified 

 to the Committee their desire to entertain members of the 

 Association, and as the date of the meeting draws nearer 

 numerous additional offers will be made by those of the 

 townsmen who are unwilling or unable to fix their en- 

 gagements so long beforehand. It is understood that 

 those ladies and gentlemen who have offered to invite 

 guests will send out invitations as soon as it is known to 

 the Committee who are coming. 



The hotel and lodging accommodation is not so great 

 as in some other towns, but the Committee feel sure that 

 with the private hospitality which will be offered there 

 will be enough for the needs of our visitors. The list 

 of hotels and lodgings will be ready for distribution about 

 the middle of July, it having been delayed to make the 

 list as complete as possible. The list will be accom- 

 panied by a map of Cardiff taken from the most recently 

 executed ones. 



(2) Reception and Section Rooms. — The reception room 

 will be at the Town Hall, practically the whole of which 

 has been placed at the disposal of the Local Committee 

 for the use of the Association. The vestibule will be 

 devoted to the sale of tickets, the distribution of pro- 

 grammes, and other information, whilst the Assembly 

 Rooms will be fitted up as a drawing-room with writing- 

 tables, post-ofifice facilities, and a book-stall. The Council, 

 Committee of Recommendations, and General Committee 

 will meet in various rooms, and others will be set apart 

 for the ofificers of the Association. 



As the Town Hall is about half a mile from the Section 

 room furthest away, a portion of the Drill Hall, the use 



NO. I 131, VOL. 44] 



of which has been kindly granted by Lord Bute, Colonel 

 Gaskell, and Colonel Page, will befitted up as a drawing- 

 room, and the remainder will be used as a luncheon- 

 room. As the Drill Hall is situated within very easy 

 distance of almost all the Section rooms, the members 

 of the Association will doubtless appreciate the advantage 

 of having a drawing-room and dining-room so close at 

 hand. 



The majority of the Section rooms are very close to- 

 gether, and the greatest distance is not more than half a 

 mile ; tramcars and busses, however, run frequently 

 between the extreme points, so that even that distance 

 should offer no difficulty in the way of members wishing 

 to attend different Sections. 



(3) Entertainments. — The usual conversazioni will be 

 given on Thursday, August 20, and on Tuesday, the 

 25th, and it is hoped that scientific men will aid the 

 Committee in contributing towards the entertainment 

 of our guests by the exhibition of novel experiments or 

 specimens The Park Hall, in which the conversazioni 

 will be held, is well suited to this purpose, and it is the 

 desire of the Committee to introduce as many scientific 

 novelties as possible. 



A garden party, to which all members of the Associa- 

 tion will be invited, will be given by Lord and Lady Bute, 

 probably on the Friday afternoon, though the date may 

 be subject to alteration. Other social entertainments 

 are projected by Lord Windsor and others, and Cardiff 

 will probably in this respect not fall behind what the 

 members have been accustomed to at other places of 

 meeting. 



(4) Excursions. — A considerable variety of excursions 

 has been provided for both the Saturday and the following 

 Thursday. For the former, arrangements are being made 

 by Sir W. T. Lewis for a party of members to visit the 

 Cardiff Docks ; by a committee appointed by the Board of 

 Directors to visit the Barry Docks ; by the Mayor of 

 Newport and the Chamber of Commerce for a party to 

 visit Newport and Caerleon. A special excursion is being 

 arranged by the Colonel commanding the Severn Valley 

 division of submarine miners for officers of the British 

 Army to inspect the Severn Valley defences. The 

 steamer will land the officers at the steep and flat holmes, 

 and will continue with the civilians on board to Weston, 

 from which they will visit Worlebury Hill and camp. 



Other excursions will be of geological and archaeological 

 interest, and will include excursions to Penarth and 

 Lavernock, where the finest section of Rhaetic beds in 

 England is exposed ; to the interesting dolmens at St. 

 Nicholas and St. Lythan's; to Llant wit-major, where a 

 year or two ago the remains of a Roman villa were 

 unearthed, and where a college is said to have existed 

 in the fourth century; to Tintern Abbey and Raglan 

 Castle, the Forest of Dean, Merthyr, Brecon, and to 

 some of the numerous collieries and iron-works in 

 the South Wales coal-field. A practical natural history 

 excursion is being organized by the Cardiff Naturalists' 

 Society to the Vale of Neath, which from the beauty of 

 the spot should prove attractive. Several owners of 

 works in the neighbourhood of Cardiff have expressed 

 their willingness to throw them open to the members, and 

 arrangements will be made for visits to some of them. 



(5) Publications. — A guide-book to Cardiff is being 

 prepared for distribution to all members and associates, 

 and the descriptive articles have been intrusted to the 

 gentlemen who were best fitted to write them. The 

 article on the history and archaeology of Glamorganshire 

 has been written by the veteran G. T. Clark, of Dowlais, 

 whilst that on the topography of Cardiff was undertaken 

 by the late James A. Corbett, who, unfortunately, died 

 before it was quite complete. Mr. T. Forster Brown, 

 President of Section G, has undertaken the description 

 of the mining, geological, and statistical features of the 

 district ; the industrial portion being in the hands of Mr. 



