4o6 



NA TURE 



[August 22, 1901 



Embryology), Invertebrata, Arthropoda and Nomen- 

 clature. These were presided over on successive days 

 by different zoologists of eminence, and such numerous 

 communications were made to each that it is impossible 

 to give an account of these, or even a list of their titles. 



The concluding meeting took place on Friday morning, 

 when a large amount of business was transacted. The 

 report of the Nomenclature Commission, which was 

 adopted, included a recommendation that specific and 

 generic names should be amended only when a printer's 

 error or a mistake in orthography could be proved, and 

 that in all cases the first name given to an animal, 

 whether to the whole animal or to a part, to an adult or 

 a larva, should stand, and also a proposal for introducing 

 uniformity into the arrangement of figures on plates and 

 the designation of their parts by explanatory letters. Re- 

 solutions were also passed in favour of the preservation 

 of non-injurious animals and the formation of a section 

 for zoogeography ; it was, further, decided to hold the 

 next congress in Bern, under the presidency of Prof. 

 Studer. Addresses were given by Prof. Biitschli (Heidel- 

 berg") on "Vitalism and Mechanism," and by Prof. 

 Branco (Berlin) on " Fossil Men," and after the usual 

 complimentary resolutions the Congress was adjourned. 



Such were in brief the formal proceedings, but, as is 

 always the case, these were by no means the most 

 important results. More far-reaching in their influence 

 on the life and work of zoologists are the informal dis- 

 cussions and friendly conversations which take place in 

 the intervals, on such occasions as the reception by the 

 City of Berlin at the Rathhaus, by the Zoological .Society 

 in its magnificent garden and in other more modest 

 convivial gatherings. 



The whole meeting was admirably organised, with 

 German thoroughness and attention to detail. It only 

 remains to be added that an appendix to the Berlin 

 meeting took place in Hamburg, where the members 

 were received at the Rathhaus by the .Senate of the City, 

 by the directors of the Hamburg-American Line on 

 board the ss. Graf Waldersee and by the Zoological 

 Society in their garden. A trip to Heligoland terminated 

 the whole proceedings, which must have left a vivid and 

 pleasant impression on the mind of every one present. 



CHARLES A. SCHOTf. 

 "JYI R. CHARLES .A. SCHOTT, whose death we regret 

 ■'■'-'■ to record, was renowned throughout the world of 

 physical science on account of his numerous memoirs on 

 terrestrial magnetism. The work accomplished by him 

 during a long and active career was both extensive and 

 influential, and its value has long been recognised by 

 physicists in both hemispheres. 



From an appreciative account of Mr. Schott's work, 

 which appeared in Ter7'eslrial M agnetisin two years ago, 

 we learn that he was born at Mannheim, Baden, Ger- 

 many, .lugust 7, 1S26. After passing through the public 

 school and partly through the Lyceum of his native town, 

 he entered the Polytechnic School at Karlsruhe, where, 

 after a six-year course, he graduated as civil engineer 

 in 1847. In December of that year he entered 

 the service of the United States Coast Survey, and 

 in due time became a citizen of the LInited States. 

 At first he was engaged in office and nautical duties, but 

 he was assigned to the position of Chief of the Computing 

 Division of the Survey in 1855. Mr. Schott continued in 

 charge of this until the end of 1899, and he then under- 

 took the discussion of the arc measurements in the 

 United States resulting from the extension triangulation 

 already executed by the different organisations engaged 

 in survey work. .A summary of some of the results of 

 this work was given in Nature of February 21 (vol. 

 Ixiii. p. 408). 



NO. 1660, VOL. 64]- 



Mr. Schott's numerous contributions to the annual 

 reports of the Coast Survey since 1854 relating to hydro- 

 graphy, geodesy, practical astronomy, and especially to 

 terrestrial magnestism, are well known. He also pub- 

 lished through the medium of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 between the years 1858 and 1881, a number of memoirs 

 bearing on meteorology and on subjects relating to 

 Arctic explorations. He was a member of the Govern- 

 ment parties sent to Springfield, Illinois, to observe the 

 solar eclipse of August 1869, and to Catania, Sicily, to 

 observe that of December 1870. As delegate from the 

 United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, he attended 

 the International Conference on Terrestrial ^Magnetism, 

 held at Bristol in 1898 in connection with the meeting of 

 the British Association. In the same year he received 

 the Henry Wilde prize of 4000 francs from the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences for his numerous contributions to 

 terrestrial magnetism. This was the first award of the 

 prize ; and the President of the United States in making 

 the presentation alluded to the catholicity of scientific 

 work and the recognition of distinguished merit implied 

 in the fact that Mr. Schott — an American — should be 

 awarded by French men of science a prize founded by an 

 Englishman. It is encouraging to know that Mr. 

 Schott's zeal and industry for the advancement of natural 

 knowledge met with recognition in the world of science. 



NOTES. 



A COMMITTEE has been appointed by the President of the 

 Board of Trade to inquire and report as to the best means by 

 which the Stale or local authorities can assist scientific research 

 as applied to problems affecting the fisheries of Great Britain 

 and Ireland. The members of the committee are as follows : — 

 The Right Hon. Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart., M.P., Mr. 

 Walter E. Archer, Mr. Donald Crawford, Rev. William 

 Spotswood Green, Prof William .\bbott Herdman, F.R.S., 

 the Hon. Thomas H. W. Pelham. Mr. Stephen E. Spring-Rice, 

 C.B., and Prof. J. Arthur Thomson. 



It has been decided to erect in Leoben, Austria, a statue of 

 Peter Ritter von Tunner, who died on June S, 1897, to com- 

 memorate his great .services to the metallurgy of iron. An in- 

 fluential committee has been formed, with Mr. Ignaz Prand- 

 stetter as president, Prof. J. G. von Ehrenwerth as vice-president 

 and Prof. Carl Fritz as honorary secretary, to collect sub- 

 scriptions. .\t a recent meeting of the council of the Iron and 

 Steel Institute the matter was considered. As a contribution to 

 the memorial could not be voted from the funds of the In- 

 stitute, the members of council present decided to contribute 

 two guineas each, and Mr. Bennett H. Brough, the secretary, 

 now informs us that he has forwarded to the committee in 

 Leoben contributions of that amount from twenty-six 

 members. 



h. Reuter message records that the Luaiiiia, v, hich left 

 Liverpool on August 10 for New Vork, was spoken by wireless 

 telegraphy at Nantucket Lightship shortly after 6 p.m. on 

 August 16. The following message, signed by Captain McK.ay, 

 w.as among those received on the lightship from ihe Lucania, 

 and then transmitted forty miles to Siasconset, on Nantucket 

 Island : — "All well on board. We are 2S7 miles from Sandy 

 Hook, with clear weather, and expect to reach New York on 

 Saturday. Please inform Cunard Agents." On reaching port 

 the officers of the Lucaiiia reported that the messages from 

 Nantucket were undecipherable aboard ship. 



We learn from the Athenaeum that Dr. Trootz, the Belgian 

 Minister of the Interior, who is also Minister of Education, has 

 proposed in the Chamber the foundation of a Belgica prize for 

 the promotion of oceanic researches by Belgian?, and that the 



