404 



NA TURE 



[August 22, 1901 



read : — On the volcanic episodes in the geological 

 history of Arran, by Mr. William Gunn; (i) relation of 

 the Old Red Sandstone of north-west Ireland to the 

 Metamorphic rocks, (2) relation of the Silurian and Ordo- 

 vician rocks of north-west Ireland to the Metamorphic 

 series, by Messrs. A. McHenry and J. R. Kilroe ; on a 

 new method in the investigation of fossil remains, Prof. 

 J. W. Sollas ; (i) phosphatic nodules, &c., in Upper 

 Carboniferous Limestone of west Yorkshire, (2) a silicificd 

 plant seam beneath the Millstone Grit of Swarth Fell, by 

 Mr. John Rhodes : plants and Coleoptera of Pleistocene 

 age from Wolvercote, O.xfordshire, by Mr. A. M. Bell ; 

 origin of gravel-flats of Surrey and IJerkshire, by Mr. 

 H. W. Monckton ; (i) the distribution of fishes in the 

 Carboniferous rocks of Scotland, (2) the fish fauna of 

 the Old Red Sandstone of Scotland, by Dr. Traquair, 

 F.R.S. ; the Cambrian fossils of the north-west High- 

 lands, by Mr. B. N. Peach, F.R.S. ; fossil plants from 

 Berwickshire, by Mr. R. Kidston ; sequence of Tertiary 

 igneous rocks of Skye, by Mr. A. Marker; the Scottish 

 ores of copper and their geological relations, by Mr. J. (i. 

 Goodchild ; recent observations among the volcanic 

 rocks of Mull, by Sir Archibald Geikie ; on Eastern 

 Highland schists, by Mr. G. Barrow ; on rock specimens 

 from Perim, by Miss C. A. Raisin. 



The address of the president of Section D (Zoology) (Prof 

 J. Cossar Ewart, F.R.S.), on the experimental study of 

 variation, will be given on Thursday, September 12. The 

 preliminary list of papers to be read shows that from a 

 zoological point of view the Glasgow meeting will be one 

 of exceptional interest ; while the pro-\imity of the Firth of 

 Clyde and the establishment of the marine biological 

 station at Millport will pro\ ide attractions of a special 

 character for the marine biologist. The committee have 

 invited lectures from Major Ronald Ross, F.R.S., on 

 tropical parasitology, giving the results of his most 

 recent investigations ; and from Dr. J. E. S. Moore, on 

 the problem of Lake Tanganyika. Both gentlemen 

 have consented, subject, in the former case, to Major 

 Ross's expected return from Africa in time. In addition 

 to the above, Prof. J. Arthur Thomson will read a paper 

 on germinal selection in its relation to inheritance ; 

 Mr. E. J. Bles, on a method of recording local 

 fauna ; Mr. L. A. Borradaile, on the land crabs of 

 Minikoi ; Mr. J. S. Budgett, on the youngest known 

 larva of Polypterus ; Mr. J. Graham Kerr, on the 

 origin of vertebrate limbs ; Mr. J. Y. Simpson, on 

 variation in relation to binary fission in Protozoa ; 

 and Dr. T. H. Bryce, on heterotypical division in the 

 maturation of sexual cells. These titles indicate the 

 main outlines of the zoological programme, but the com- 

 mittee have not yet finally closed their list. A joint 

 discussion with Sections C and E on limnology is 

 provisionally arranged for Monday, September 16. 



In Section E (Geography) the president's address will 

 be delivered on Thursday, September 12, at 10.30 a.m., 

 and will deal specially with the study of geography, as 

 distinct from the teaching of that subject, in this country. 

 Amongst the papers which it is hoped will be communi- 

 cated to the Section during the meeting are ; — Mr. G. G. 

 Chisholm, geographical conditions affecting British 

 trade ; Mr. E. G. Ravenstein, Martin Behaim and his 

 globe of 1492 ; Dr. A. J. Herbertson, a morphological 

 map of Europe ; Dr. R. Bell (Geological Survey of 

 Canada), Northern Ontario ; Dr. Moreno, on the Argen- 

 tine Republic ; Mr. \V. N. Shaw, on weather maps ; 

 Mr. H. N. Dickson, on mean temperature and glacial 

 periods ; Dr. R. Logan Jack, on travels in Western China ; 

 Mr. Yule Oldham, on the Bedford level experiments. 

 Captain Lemaire will'give an account of his recent expe- 

 dition. Special attention will be directed to the geography 

 of Scotland, and it is hoped that Sir A. Geikie will read a 

 paper on some questions relating to this subject ; Mr. G. F. 

 Scott Elliott has promised a paper on the effects of vege- 



NO. 1660, VOL. 64] 



tation in the valley and plains of the Clyde ; Dr. Marion 

 Newbigin, on the proposed survey of the Forth valley, 

 undertaken by the Scottish Natural History Society ; 

 and Mr. W. G. Smith, on the methods of the Botanical 

 Survey of Scotland inaugurated by his brother, the late 

 Mr. R. A. Smith. Papers will probably be read on the 

 British and German Antarctic expeditions, and Mr. 

 W. S. Bruce has promised a paper on the methods and 

 plans of the Scottish Antarctic Expedition. It is hoped 

 that a joint discussion may be arranged with other 

 sections on the objects and methods of limnology. Sir 

 Thomas Holdich will present the report of the committee 

 on surveys of British Protectorates, and the reports of 

 committees on the climate of Tropical Africa and on 

 surveys of the Phlegroean Fields will also be read. 



In Section (~i (Engineering), the provisional programme 

 includes the following papers : — Address of the president. 

 Colonel R. E. Crompton, on {a) modern development of 

 passenger and goods traffic, as affecting carriage on rail- 

 ways, tramways and ordinary roads ; {b) standardisation 

 and interchangeability ; (<•) the National Physical Labora- 

 tory. Paper by Mr. D. H. Morton on the mechanical 

 exhibits in the Glasgow Exhibition ; report of the com- 

 mittee on resistance of road vehicles to traction ; the 

 carriage of goods over electric trolley systems, Mr. A. H. 

 Gibbings ; railway rolling stock, present and future, Mr. 

 M. N. Macdonald : the Panama Canal, M. Bunau Varilla ; 

 tunnelling through quicksands, M. A. Gobert ; the protec- 

 tion of public buildings from lightning, Mr. Killingworth 

 Hedges ; the Diesel engine, Herr Rudolf Diesel ; 

 aluminium. Prof E.Wilson; aluminium as a fuel, Sir 

 W. C. Roberts-Austen. K.C.B., F.R.S. ; report of the 

 committee on the small screw gauge ; recent develop- 

 ments of chain driving, Mr. C. R. Garrard ; the critical 

 point in rolled steel joists, Mr. E. T. Edwards ; machinery 

 for engraving, Mr. Mark Barr ; measurement of the 

 hardness of materials by indentation by a steel sphere, 

 Mr. T. A. Hearson. 



Prof D. J. Cunnningham, F.R.S., the president of 

 Section H (Anthropology), will take as the subject of his 

 address the human brain, and the part which it has 

 played in the evolution of man ; and papers on physical 

 anthropology are likely to be more prominent this year 

 than on some previous occasions. Special attention will 

 be directed to recent work by Dr. Brown and Mr. Gray on 

 the physical characteristics of the people of Ireland and 

 Scotland respectively ; Mr. Douglas, Superintendent of 

 Police at Glasgow, promises an account of the anthropo- 

 metric method of identification as practised locally ; and 

 other papers on Egyptian and Papuan anthropology are 

 expected from Drs. Rivers and Myers. Two papers 

 have been received on the natives of the Malay 

 Peninsula, by Mr. Skeat, and Messrs. Annandale and 

 Robinson. Dr. Sturge has a paper on the chron- 

 ology of the Stone Age of man, and Mr. Arthur Evans 

 will supplement the report of the Cretan Exploration 

 Committee by an account of the Neolithic settlement 

 which underlies the great ^lycena^an palace of Knossos. 

 Mr. Hogarth also promises an account of this year's cam- 

 paign in eastern Crete. The report of the Canadian 

 Ethnographic Survey promises, as before, a variety 01 

 subjects for discussion ; and it is hoped that special 

 arrangements may be made for the description and 

 examination of the ethnographic and architological sec- 

 tions of the Glasgow Exhibition ; though at present the 

 culture and archaeology of the neighbourhood remain 

 quite unrepresented in the programme. 



The president of Section I. (Prof J. G. McKendrick, 

 F.R.S.) will open the work of the section with an intro- 

 ductory address. The feature of the transactions will, 

 however, be a discussion on the subject of phonetics. 

 This is to be introduced by a demonstration from the 

 president of the different methods employed in researches 

 into this subject, after which it is expected that Dr. 



