July 26, iJi94j 



NA TURE 



297 



scientific work will be pursued, including the study of glacier 

 systems. 



The iron steamer Miranda, chartered by Dr. Frederick A. 

 Cook, of Brooklyn, sailed from New York the same afternoon 

 with a party of fifty men of science and pleasure-seekers. Labra- 

 dor and thesvest coast of Greenland will be visited. Several of the 

 party will remain in Greenland to prosecute scientific researches. 

 The steamer will then goto Melville Bay, and perhaps visit the 

 quarters of Peary and other explorers, returning about the 

 middle of September. 



Among the passengers were ten Eskimo, who had been 

 stationed in the Eskimo camp at the World's Fair in Chicago 

 last year, and are returning home. Wm. H. Hale. 



Brooklyn. 



Rearing of Plaice. 



In N.4TLRE of July 12 (p. 251), there is an interesting note 

 on the rearing of larval plaice at Plymouth, by Mr. J T. 

 Cunningham, in which it is mentioned that they have been 

 reared to the age of thirty-seven days ; but it is not stated how 

 long the incubation went on. It may be interesting to say that 

 at the Fishery Board's Marine Hatchery, at Dunbar, I succeeded 

 in preserving many millions of larval plaice from tweniy-four to 

 thirty-three days, counting from the time of fertilisation ; and 

 some were reared in jars for longer. On one occasion I kept 

 them in a thriving condition to the forty-seventh day after im- 

 pregnation of the eggs, at which age they were carried away by 

 an accidental overflow. The eggs were fertilised on April 3, 

 hatched on April 19, and larvae reared until May 20, when the 

 accident occurred. A description in full will be given in the 

 Fishery Board's report. Harald Dannevig. 



Fishery Board's Marine Hatchery, Dunbar, July 17. 



Absence of Butterflies. 



Referring to "Delta's" note, I may say that in the fine 

 weather which we had here in April, the small tortoise-shell 

 butterfly appeared more numerously than ever I had witnessed it 

 at that season, or indeed at any time. I recollect counting a dozen 

 at one time on a small bush of Andromeda jloribunda, then in 

 flower. Many of them were on wing in the latter days of 

 March, alighting on the willow blossoms. With the fall of tem- 

 perature in May they disappeared, and only in these recent warm 

 days of July have I again seen them. The first white butterfly 

 of the season was seen here April 21, the glowworm on June 

 23 (three weeks later than last year), and the horse-fly. Hippo- 

 liosca equina, on June 28. J. Shaw. 



Tynron, Dumfriesshire. 



THE OXFORD MEETING OF THE BRITISH 

 ASSOCIATION. 



WE regret to announce that -Mr. W. H. White, C.B., 

 will be unable, through ill-health, to give the 

 evening lecture on " Steam Navigation at High Speeds," 

 announced for Thursday, August 9. The Council of the 

 Association has secured the services of Dr. J. W. 

 Gregory to fill his place, and we believe that the 

 title of Dr. (Gregory's lecture will be " Experiences and 

 Prospects of African Exploration." 



During the past week further information has come to 

 band as to the work in some of the Sections. In Section 

 C (Geology) the President, Dr. L. Fletcher, will deal in 

 his address with the progress of mineralogy since Dr. 

 Whewell's report was presented in 1832. Prof. Green 

 will read a paper on the geology of the country round 

 Oxford, with special reference to the places to be visited 

 during the excursions. Prof Boyd Dawkins will con- 

 tribute several papers, including one on the probable 

 range of Coal Measures under the newer rocks of Oxford- 

 shire. Amongst others are papers by Mr. H. A. Miers, 

 on a new method of measuring crystals ; by Mr. E. P. 

 Culverwell, on an examination of Croll'sand Hall's theory 

 of Ice Ages and Glacial Epochs ; Mr. W. \V. Watts, on 



NO. 1291, VOL. 50] 



barytes in Keuper sandstone ; Dr. H. Hicks, on some 

 Lacustrine deposits of the Glacial Period in Middlesex ; 

 and Dr. J. Anderson, on some volcanic subsidences in 

 the North of Iceland. There will be a joint meeting of 

 Sections C and H, to discuss the implements of the 

 plateau gravels and their bearing on the antiquity of 

 man. 



In Section G (Mechanical Science), the President, 

 Prof. A. B. W. Kennedy, will deal in his address with 

 modern mechanical training, constructive and critical. 

 Sir Frederick Bramwell will read a paper on Thursday, 

 August 9, on Steam Locomotion on Common Roads. On 

 the Friday there is to be a joint discussion with Section 

 A, on Integrators, Harmonic Analysers, and Integraphs, 

 and their applications to physical and engineering 

 problems. This discussion will be opened by Prof. O. 

 Henrici, who is expected to exhibit some valuable models 

 and instruments. On the same day, Lord Kelvin will 

 read a paper on the resistance experienced by solids 

 moving through fluids, which will be followed by a dis- 

 cussion on Flight. Other papers, by Prof. Fuller, Mr. 

 FitzMaurice, and Mr. H. Davey, will follow. On the 

 Saturday, Sir A. Noble, F.R.S., will open with a valuable 

 paper on the measurement of pressures in gun bores ; 

 and other papers, by Mr. B. Donkin and Mr. J. Kenwood, 

 will follow. The Monday will be devoted to electrical 

 questions, and among others Mr. W. H. Preece will give 

 two papers on Signalling without Wires, and on the 

 Efficiency of Glow Lamps. On the Tuesday, several 

 papers of mechanical engineering interest will be read 

 by Prof. Unwin, Mr. J. Swinburne, Prof. Capper, and 

 Prof. Hudson Beare. 



The programme of Section H (Anthropology) is 

 already a large one, including nearly fifty reports and 

 papers of great interest. Amongst these are papers by 

 Mr. Lionel Decle, on the native tribes of Africa between 

 the Zambesi and Uganda ; Dr. A. B. Meyer, on the 

 distribution of the N egritos ; M. Emile Cartailhac, on the 

 art and industry of the Troglodytes of Bruniquel (France), 

 and two other communications; Mr. J. Theodore Bent, 

 on the natives of the Hydramoot ; Count Goblet 

 d'Alviella, on recent discoveries in prehistoric archae- 

 ology in Belgium ; Prof. Max Lohest, on observations 

 relative to the antiquity of man in Belgium ; Mr. Arthur 

 Evans, on the discovery of a new hieroglyphic system 

 and pre-Phoenician script in Crete ; and Prof. J. Kollmann, 

 on pygmies in Europe. It must be understood that where 

 dates have been given above, they are only provisional, 

 and that the order in which the papers are to be read is 

 hable to alteration before and during the meeting, due 

 notice of which will be given in the daily journal. 



Section I (Physiology) will meet in the fine Physio- 

 logical Laboratory of the L'niversity adjoining the 

 Museum; and, judging from the number and<interesting 

 character of the communications which have been 

 already promised, its launch into independent existence 

 should prove most successful. A very large number of 

 the physiologists of Great Britain have announced their 

 intention of being present, and, in addition, the President 

 of the Section, Prof. Schafer, will have the support of 

 several distinguished foreign physiologists, amongst 

 whom are Prof. Chauveau (of Paris), Prof. Hermann (of 

 Konigsberg), Prof Engelmann (of Utrecht), Prof. Heger 

 (of Brussels), and Prof. Gaule (of Zurich). 



The programme of local arrangements is drawn up, 

 but owing to alterations being required, consequent on 

 the withdrawal of Mr. W. H. White's lecture, and other 

 causes, it will not be ready for distribution before the 

 beginning of next week. 



'rhe Local Secretaries desire to give notice that all 

 communications should be addressed to them at the 

 British Association Office, the Examination Schools, 

 Oxford, and not to the University Museum, as hereto- 

 fore. 



