January 30, 1896] 



NATURE 



307 



that which, since 1886, has governed the existence of the 

 Association, and expires next year. For this reason, important 

 modifications have been introduced into the future functions of 

 the Association. 



In view of the construction and maintenance of international 

 stations for geodetic or astronomical observations, its budget will 

 be increased from 20,000 to 75,000 francs. 



Under the new organisation, the various German States have 

 been fused into the German Empire with one vote. The old 

 permanent commission, which used to meet once a year, now 

 disappears. Only Ih f general conferences will be continued, and 

 they will take place every three years, as formerly. In these 

 assemblies special commissions will be formed for each branch 

 of study of the Association. 



M. Faye has been unanimously re-elected as President of the 

 new Association, with General Ferrero, Italian Ambassador in 

 London, as Vice-President, and Dr. Hirsch, Director of the 

 Observatory in Neuchatel (Switzerland), as Secretary. 



MEETINGS OF AFFILIATED SCIENTIFIC 

 SOCIETIES IN AMERICA. 



A N important series of scientific meetings was held at Phila- 

 "^ delphia, December 26-28, under the leadership of the 

 American Society of Naturalists, and including six other Socie- 

 ties. The opening address of President Edward D. Cope to the 

 Naturalists' Society was on the formulation of the natural sciences. 

 A discussion on the flora and fauna of the Antarctic and ad- 

 jacent regions occupied most of the time of this society. Angelo 

 Heilprin opened the discussion. He said that very little was 

 known about the Antarctic region. It appeared to him that the 

 coast-line of this region did not outline a continent, but only a 

 group of islands. The supposed continent had been regarded 

 as destitute of vegetable life till lichens were discovered there 

 last year. It is thought from geological formations that the con- 

 tinent was once connected with Australia, South America, and 

 perhaps Africa. W. B. Scott said that a study of fossils of 

 animals shows that Australian forms are found in South America, 

 but no South American forms in Australia ; thus indicating that 

 there was first a connection between Australia and the southern 

 continent, and later between South America and the southern 

 continent. 



N. L. Britton gave a list of plants, and Theodore Gill of 

 fresh-water fishes, to show the connection between the southern 

 continent and Australia and South America. 



The officers elected for the Naturalists' Society are : President, 

 W. B. Scott ; Vice-Presidents, W. G. Foster, C. O. Whitman, 

 and Theodore Gill ; Secretary, H. C. Bumpus ; Treasurer, 

 J. B. Smith. 



There was a large attendance at the meeting of the Geological 

 Society of America. President N. S. Shaler (in the chair) read 

 a paper on the relations of geologic science to education. 

 Among other papers read were one by C. R. Van Hise, on the 

 movements of rocks under deformation, and a description, by Sir 

 Robert Bell, of the land about Hudson Bay. 



Officers elected were : President, Joseph Le Conte ; Vice- 

 Presidents, Charles H. Hitchcock and Edward Orton ; Secretary, 

 H. L. Fairchild ; Treasurer, J. C. White ; Editor, J. S. Brown. 



The American Psychological Society listened to the annual 

 address of the President, J. M. Cattell, and to a large number of 

 papers by members. An interesting discussion on " Conscious- 

 ness and Evolution," was opened by William James, and par- 

 ticipated in by E. D. Cope, J. M. Baldwin, C. Sedgwick, G. T. 

 Ladd, G. S. Fullerton, J. H. Hyslop, D. S. Miller, and Wesley 

 Mills. 



The Anatomical Society of America was briefly addressed by 

 the President, Thomas Dwight. An interesting paper was read 

 by Burt G. Wilder, on " The Cerebral Fissures of Two Philo- 

 sophers." The brains referred to were those of Chauncey 

 Wright, of Cambridge, and James Edward Oliver, of Cornell, 

 both of which the lecturer exhibited. 



Officers elected were: President, Frank Baker; Vice-Pre- 

 sidents, B. G, Wilder and F, J. Shepherd ; Secretary and 

 Treasurer, D. S. Lamb. 



The American Morphological Society had papers by C. S. 

 Minot, Bashford Dean, and others, and elected the following 

 officers : President, E. L. Mack ; Vice-President, H. Y. Os- 

 Ixjrne ; Executive Committee, E. G. Conklin and W. Patten. 



NO. 1370, VOL. 53] 



A meeting of the American Physiological Society was held, at 

 which several papers were read. 



The meeting of the American Folk-lore Society was, of 

 course, the most popular. Washington Matthews presided, and 

 read a paper on the poetry and music of the Navajoes. He finds 

 that the tribe has many legends, songs, and formulated prayers. 

 They have an elaborate religion, with symbolism and allegory 

 that might vie with the Greeks. Daniel G. Brinton read a paper 

 on "American Cuss Words," and J. H. McCormick on " Folk- 

 lore 'of the Southern Negroes." Captain John G. Bourke read 

 "Notes on some Arabic Survivals in the Language and Folk- 

 lore of the Rio Grande Valley," in which he traced the simil- 

 arity of names which the Mexican uses for his common articles 

 of food with those used by the Moslem ; and also showed 

 similarity of customs of the two nations. 



Officers elected were : President, John G. Bourke ; Vice- 

 Presidents, Stewart Culin, Franz Boaz ; Councillors, J. W. 

 Ellsworth ; Hall Chatelain, J. H. McCormick. 



A general lecture was given on Thursday evening by Prof. 

 Wm. B. Scott, on the " Lacustrine Formations of North America 

 and their Mammalian Fossils." The vast plains east of the 

 Rocky Mountains were, in the Pliocene age, fresh-water lakes. 

 Large numbers of fossils, particularly mammals, have been taken 

 from them. Prof. Scott argued the identity of the American 

 fauna of that age with that of P' ranee and the valley of Lausanne 

 in Switzerland at the same period. 



The affiliated societies were entertained during the days of 

 session by the University of Pennsylvania, and a banquet was 

 given on Friday evening at the Hotel Lafayette. Prof. Cope 

 presided, and the address of welcome was made by Dean Fuller- 

 ton, of the University. 



GEOLOGY IN GLASGOW UNIVERSITY} 



"W'OU are doubtless aware that last year I entertained and 

 ^ expressed the rash expectation that I should not again 

 meet a class as lecturer on geology. " I thought to pass away 

 before, and yet I still am here." An explanation is therefore 

 necessary ; I must, in fact, detail the history of the subject in 

 this University, so as to purge myself of censure in respect that 

 the University is, in this particular, behind the time, and far 

 behind what Glasgow, above all, has a right to expect that its 

 University should be. 



When I came to Glasgow the old custom prevailed of inter- 

 larding the lectures on zoology with those on geology. In my 

 time in Edinburgh, Edward Forbes gave four lectures on 

 zoology, setting aside Friday for geology. In 1867 I separated 

 the two subjects, lecturing twice daily during that summer, and 

 raising a brief revolt among" the medical students, who thought 

 themselves defrauded of their rights. Brief, for the clamour 

 died quickly when they found themselves at liberty to attend the 

 second lecture without paying a fee ; their abnormal thirst for 

 knowledge at once contented itself with what was required for 

 the professional examinations. This was the first complete 

 course given in Scotland, and anticipated by four years the 

 foundation of the Murchison chair in Edinburgh. In 1872, on 

 the establishment of a degree in science, geology was made 

 compulsory for that, as it had previously been for the certificate 

 of proficiency in engineering science. Thereon I began to 

 urge the claims of a subject which had been thus quietly intro- 

 duced to a prominence not previously granted to it in this city. 

 The Mining School started in Anderson's College some years 

 before had collapsed, those who owed wealth to their mineral 

 property taking no interest in the effort which not even 

 the excellence of Mr. Prior as a teacher could sustain. The 

 hearty support given me in my crusade by Dr. (now Sir Charles) 

 Cameron deserves to be recorded, for he was the only one who 

 appreciated the importance of the movement, the only one who 

 stirred a finger to help me. Wealthy coal- and iron-masters 

 saved their money, some by the Mrs. McLarty plea that they did 

 well enough without trained men, others by modestly saying that 

 they could not properly intrude where their wealthier neighbours 

 saw no need for action. I need not comment on the want of 

 public spirit, of patriotism displayed, which astonished me more 

 perhaps than it would now ; but it seemed, and seems strange 

 that a countryjwhich boasted Hutton, Playfair, Hall, Macculloch, 

 C. Maclaren, Hugh Miller, Lyell, Murchison, A. C. Ramsay, 



^ From Introductory Lecture to Course of Geology in Glasgow University 

 by Prof. John Young. 



