Jory 9, 1914] 
every bone has been recovered, had evidently been 
buried upon the back, and in the contracted position, 
the head being turned over the left shoulder and facing 
due west. On the right-hand side of the skeleton the 
fragments of an urn were found, which has now been 
rebuilt, and found to be an elaborately ornamented 
drinking vessel of the late Neolithic or early Bronze 
periods. No implements or ornaments of any sort 
were found with the remains. Both the human bones 
and the pottery are at present in the care of Prof. 
Keith at the Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln’s 
Inn Fields, W.C. 
Tue Royal Academy of Belgium has issued its pro- 
gramme of prizes to be awarded during 1915. Among 
the subjects in mathematical and physical science for 
theses on which prizes from 35]. to 4ol. are offered 
may be mentioned: the absorption of light in inter- 
stellar space; the viscosity of liquids and gases and 
the properties of fluids near the critical temperature ; 
the organo-metallic compounds of one or more metals 
of the chromium group; infinitesimal geometry of 
curved surfaces; and conic systems in space. In the 
natural sciences, prizes of the same value are offered 
for researches in the following subjects: the signifi- 
cance of various inflections of the electrocardiogram ; 
the spermatogenesis of burrowing hymenoptera; the 
subalpine flora of Belgium; a petrographical and geo- 
logical description of some metamorphic region of the 
Ardennes; and descriptions of certain groups of Bel- 
gian minerals. The memoirs should be written in 
French, Flemish, or Latin, and be sent, post paid, to 
M. le Secrétaire Perpétuel, au Palais des Académies, a 
Bruxelles, before August 1, 1915. The bulletin from 
which the above particulars are taken also gives in- 
formation concerning the various permanent prizes 
to be awarded during the years up to 1918. 
THE list of Civil List pensions granted during the 
year ended March 31 last includes the following grants 
for scientific services :—Mr. A. J. M. Bell, in recogni- 
tion of his valuable contribution to geology and 
paleontology, 60l.; Mrs. Traquair, in consideration 
of the services to science of her husband, the late Dr. 
R. H. Traquair, F.R.S., and of her own artistic work, 
5ol.; Mrs. Gray, in recognition of the valuable con- 
tributions to the science of anthropology made by her 
husband, the late Mr. John Gray, 5ol.; Mrs. Wallace, 
in consideration of the eminent services to science of 
her husband, the late Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, 
O.M., F.R.S., 120l.; Mrs. Alcock, in recognition of 
the valuable contributions to the study of physiology 
made by her husband, the late Prof. N. H. Alcock, 
5ol.; Mrs. Ward, in recognition of the eminent ser- 
vices of her husband, the late Prof. Marshall Ward, 
F.R.S., to botanical science 4ol.; Dr. Oliver Heavi- 
side, F.R.S., in recognition of the importance of his 
researches in the theory of high-speed telegraphy and 
long-distance telephony, in addition to his existing 
pension, 1ool.; Miss Hearder, in consideration of the 
contributions to electrical science and telegraphy of her 
late father, Dr. J. N. Hearder, 7ol.; Miss Willoughby, 
in consideration of the services of her late father, Dr. 
E. F. Willoughby, in connection with questions of 
public health, 3ol. 
Nemes 22, VOL. 03) 
NATURE 
485 
Ir is curious that whereas transatlantic telegraphy 
by submarine cables was accomplished many years 
before transatlantic wireless telegraphy, the reverse 
order of things appears more likely in the case of 
telephony. The great difficulty in long-distance cable 
telephony is the attenuation and distortion of the cur- 
rent waves in the cable by the effect of its capacity, 
and in an Atlantic cable it would—at any rate, with 
our present knowledge—be too expensive to com- 
pensate for by “loading” with artificial inductance. 
In wireless telephony, on the other hand, there is no 
such distortion depending on the distance. The diffi- 
culties are mainly concerned with finding a source of 
waves with a sufficiently high group frequency in the 
case of discontinuous waves, or of sufficient steadiness 
in the case of continuous waves, and constructing a 
microphone able to deal with the heavy currents neces- 
sary at the transmitting end. Successful experiments 
overcoming these difficulties to a greater or less extent, 
and in various ways, have been made by several in- 
vestigators over moderate distances, and it would 
appear that it is now only a question of time to pro- 
duce perfected apparatus of greater power, so that a 
longer range may be covered. Now that the large 
wireless station near Carnarvon is complete, Mr. Mar- 
coni hopes to succeed in telephoning to New York, 
and, according to a statement made by Mr. Godfrey 
Isaacs, chairman of the Marconi Company, before the 
Dominions Royal Commission last week, hopes to do 
so by the end of this year. 
“THe Plumage Bill: What it Means,” is the title 
of a timely brochure by Mr. James Buckland—who 
may well be called the birds great protector—written 
with the object of influencing public opinion and 
stimulating the supporters of the Bill to further exer- 
tions in restoring those of its clauses which have been 
rendered almost nugatory by changes in Committee. 
In it we find a restatement of the evidence of credit- 
able authorities and eye-witnesses—among them of 
A. H. Meyer, “himself a one-time plume hunter” 
and ‘‘thoroughly conversant with the methods em- 
ployed in gathering ’’ them—of the ‘‘horrors of the 
plume-trade,”’ in Florida, Oregon, Australia, Lysan 
Island, New Guinea, India, and elsewhere, in which 
egret, grebe, pelican, albatross, kingfisher, and bird 
of paradise are immolated in millions to gratify the 
vanity of those women who will be feather-decorated 
whatever be the cruel methods by which their orna- 
ments are obtained. Mr. Buckland emphasises the 
economic aspect of the question, and the enormous 
value of birds to the agriculturist in America, Jamaica, 
Russia, South Africa, and Australia, in which insect 
pests and rodents—all forming food of birds—are 
destructive almost beyond computation. Mr. Souef 
has ascertained by investigation that in a field attacked 
by a horde of grasshoppers in Australia, a flock of 
ibises, spoonbills, and cranes which hurried to the spot, 
were responsible for the destruction daily of 482,000,000 
of the marauders. The devastation wrought by them 
would be infinitely greater if these birds should become 
exterminated. We commend this pamphlet to all in- 
terested in the wanton destruction of birds; and we 
trust that when the Bill comes up again before the 
House the ‘‘amendments”’ will be rejected and that 
