590 



NA TURE 



[October io, 1901 



published on the natural history of the Forth Valley, including 

 its botany, zoology and geology ; and, secondly, the Society 

 iproposes to utilise its various sections and the labours of its 

 individual members in the acquisition of a mass of detail in regard 

 ilo the existing organic conditions in the valley of the Forth. 



Prof. W. G. Smith described the methods and objects of the 

 botanical survey of Scotland inaugurated by his brother, the late 

 Mr. Robert Smith. The difhculties of grouping the flora com- 

 prehensively into "plant associations" having been got over, 

 and the proper cartographic methods elaborated by a number 

 ■of experimental surveys, it remains to carry out the work on 

 the large scale. Great interest was taken in Prof. Smith's 

 paper, and in the course of the discussion which followed Major 

 Craigie gave the satisfactory assurance that when the survey is 

 put on a definite basis it will receive assistance from the Board 

 of Agriculture in the way of supplying details. 



In the afternoon Dr. Francisco Moreno read an important 

 communication on the anthropogeography of Argentina, in which 

 he summed up the existing evidence as to the origin and distri- 

 bution of dift'erent races of mankind in South Americ;t, and 

 stated a number of problems awaiting further investigation. Mr. 

 Hesketh Prichard gave an account of his journey in Patagonia, 

 undertaken recently for the Daily Express. At the close of the 

 meeting, Mr. Reclus-Guyou exhibited a specimen of the maps on 

 natural curvature prepared by M. Elisee Reclus. These maps 

 are drawn on a sheet of aluminium stamped to the curvature of 

 a globe whose radius has the proportion to that of the Earth of 

 the natural scale of the map. 



On Monday morning Captain Lemaire gave an account of the 

 Belgian expedition to Ka-Tanga under his command. The first 

 part of Captain Lemaire's paper described the scientific results 

 of the expedition, amongst the most important being an ex- 

 haustive investigation of barometric methods of determining alti- 

 tudes in low latitudes ; the second part consisted of an exhibition 

 of part of the excellent collection of photographs made by the 

 expedition. The expedition mapped more than 6600 kilometres of 

 itinerary on a large scale, and one of the most remarkable 

 features of the expedition was that " they left behind them no 

 cause for complaint, or any ground for ill-will, among the 

 native populations." Captain Lemaire's work was very appro- 

 priately described as a model and a guide for all modern 

 explorers in Central Africa. In connection with this paper an 

 exhibition of water-colour sketches by M. Dardennes, artist 

 to the expedition, was held in the gallery of the Glasgow School 

 of Art. 



Dr. \'aughan Cornish presented the first report of the Com- 

 mittee on terrestrial surface waves, which dealt chiefly with obser- 

 vations of snow waves and ripples, and snow drifts and snow 

 caps, made by Dr. Cornish during last winter in Canada. 

 Considerable difficulties' were met with in obtaining satisfactory 

 photographs of the details of snow surfaces, but Dr. Cornish's 

 admirable slides showed that these have been successfully 

 surmounted. 



Mr. H. N. Dickson read a paper on the mean temperature of 

 the atmosphere and the causes of glacial periods, in which he 

 drew attention to the fact that any change which may have 

 occurred in the mean temperature of the atmosphere was pro- 

 bably accompanied by change in the temperature gradient 

 between equatorial and polar regions, and therefore by modi- 

 fications of the atmospheric circulation. It was suggested 

 that this had not been sufficiently taken into account in dis- 

 cussing glacial and other phenomena connected with secular 

 changes of climate, and that by taking it into consideration a 

 comparatively small gain or loss of heat would suffice to produce 

 the changes of temperature deduced from the geological record, 

 while the changes in circulation at the earth's surface would 

 account for many peculiar features of distribution. 



On Monday morning a joint meeting was held with Sections 

 C (geology) and D (zoology), to discuss the objects and methods 

 of the scientific study of the lakes of the British Islands with 

 special reference to the scheme of survey about to be carried 

 out by Sir John Murray and Mr. Lawrence Pullar. Dr. Mill, 

 who presided, read the following letter from Sir John Murray 

 explaining the scope of the proposed survey, and stated that it 

 had been undertaken as a memorial to the late Mr. F. P. 

 Pullar :— 



" I am sorry it is not possible for me to be present at the 

 meeting of the British Association this year. I am very pleased 

 to learn that a discussion has been arranged with reference to 

 the proposed bathymetrical, physical, and biological survey of 



NO. 1667, VOL. 64] 



the fresh-water lakes of the United Kingdom. I have not, as 

 yet, definitely settled anything with regard to the undertaking, 

 but my idea is to endeavour to obtain the cooperation of three 

 young university men who would take a real interest in the in- 

 vestigation and be likely to make something out of the researches 

 in the way of experience and reputation ; one to be a physicist, 

 one a zoologist, and one a botanist. I propose to offer for the 

 first year a salary of 100/. and expenses while actually engaged 

 in field work at a rate a little better than is given to members 

 of the Geological Survey. The principal work will be to sound 

 the lakes and prepare the bathymetrical charts. While this is 

 going on observations will be made concerning the temperature 

 of the water at different depths and different seasons of the year, 

 as well as how the distribution of temperature in the lakes is 

 affected by wind and other conditions. Observations will also 

 be made on the distribution of plants and animals in the different 

 lakes at various depths and seasons, and on the deposits at the 

 bottom of the lakes. The geological structure of the district in 

 which the lakes are situated, the rainfall, and other allied 

 phenomena will likewise receive attention. I would expect 

 those who take part in the work at a salary to give their whole 

 time to these investigations, and to work under my direction, 

 but they will receive full credit for their work, and will be 

 allowed to publish results in their own names. It may be pos- 

 sible to receive assistance from others who cannot give their 

 whole time to the researches, and also to make collections and 

 observations for those who are engaged in the study of special 

 branches of limnology. It is probable that I will arrange to 

 publish separately the results obtained in each catchment as 

 soon as the survey of each basin has been completed, and then 

 to publish a general account of the fresh-water lakes of the 

 United Kingdom when the practical work of the survey has 

 been finished. I propose to commence the organisation of the 

 undertaking soon after my return to Scotland, and I hope to 

 complete the whole work in five or six years." 



A full debate followed, in which both geologists and biologists 

 took part. Mr. John Home intimated that the Geological 

 Survey would, given the formal approval of the Board of Edu- 

 cation, place any information in their possession at the disposal 

 of Sir John Murray and his colleagues, and Colonel D. A. John- 

 ston, of the Ordnance Survey, expressed his warm interest in 

 the undertaking. A formal resolution expressing the great 

 gratification of the meeting at the decision to carry on the work 

 under the direction of Sir John Murray, and its sense of the 

 munificence of Mr. Lawrence Pullar, was moved by Mr. Home, 

 seconded by Mr. Peach, and carried unanimously. 



The proceedings on Monday afternoon opened with the 

 report of a Committee — consisting of Sir T. H. Holdich, Colonel 

 G. E. Church, Mr. E. G. Ravenstein and Mr. H. N. Dickson 

 — which was appointed at the Bradford meeting to draw up a 

 scheme for the survey of British protectorates, particularly in 

 Africa. The Committee specially urges the importance of laying 

 down a main triangulation so as to provide fixed points from 

 which local surveys by explorers and others may begin, and of 

 providing means of training native surveyors and topographers 

 similar to those existing in India, such surveyors to be attached 

 to exploring and similar expeditions as opportunities offer. 



An important paper by Dr. R. Bell, of the Geological 

 Survey of Canada, was next read by Mr. Mackinder. This 

 paper dealt with the topography and resources of northern 

 Ontario, or " New Ontario," and described the immense region 

 lying north-west of the line of Lake Nipissing and the French 

 River, The paper was accompanied by material for the con- 

 struction of an adequate map of the district, which has not 

 hitherto been represented with any detail. 



Mr. A. Lawrence Rotch described some results of the ex- 

 ploration of the upper strata of the atmosphere by means of 

 kites, and discussed specially the application of the method at 

 sea. On land the wind is sometimes insufficient to raise the 

 kites, but on board a steamship the artificial wind due to the 

 motion of the vessel obviates this difticulty, and by altering the 

 course relatively to the direction of the wind the action of the 

 wind on the kite can be regulated to a very considerable extent. 

 Successful experiments have been made at sea on board an 

 Atlantic liner, and the value of extended investigations in the 

 tropics, made from a ship which could be specially detailed for 

 the purpose, can hardly be overestimated. The Association 

 has appointed a strong Committee, with a money grant, to co- 

 operate in these experiments. 



The report of the Committee on changes of the land-level 



