5i6 



NA TURE 



[Sept. 27, 1883 



Animal Intelligence 



I am not aware whether or not the fallowing case has ap- 



peared among the numerous instance-; under this head already 

 given in the columns of Nature. It is to be found in Vngt 

 and Specht's " Die Saugetiere in Wort und Bild " (p. 1 1). The 

 writer of the text of that work says : — " I have myself seen a 

 ca^e in which a chimpanzee, who had got himself a little 

 scratched by the point of a slightly projecting nail in the wall of 

 hiscage, first carefully examined the same, then sought to remove 

 it, and afterwards, when he was let out, immediately proceeded 

 1 1 search for the head of the nail on the outside of the wall, 

 and then, on finding it, began to try to pull out the nail with bis 

 lingers and teeth, and when this was done for him with a pair of 

 pincers, broke out into lively demonstrations of joy." 



Camberwell, September 18 Geo. G. Chisholm 



THE BRITISH ASSOC! A TION 



Southport, Tuesday. 

 /^ONSIDERINGgeneral results, the Southport meeting 

 ^ must be regarded as a decided success. The number 

 of tickets sold has been over 2,650, and the funds 

 will therefore be ample to provide for scientific research. 

 The supply of papers has been kept up in all Sections, 

 and the quality of them has certainly reached a fair 

 average. The weather with two exceptions has been fine, 

 and the accommodation ample. The soirees have been all 

 that could be wished, to which the beautiful trees, ferns, 

 and palms in the Winter Gardens have contributed, and the 

 exhibition connected with it afforded points of interest 

 for people of varied tastes. The local officers have 

 worked well and shown both application and forethought, 

 and the excursions, if not of a particularly scientific 

 character, have certainly been the means of the Asso ta- 

 tion receiving much hospitality, and seeing many places 

 of interest, and some of beauty. 



The General Committee meeting on Monday was very 

 largely attended, and after the exceedingly well expressed 

 speeches of Principal Dawson and Sir Charles Tupper, 

 the feeling was strong that the meeting in Canada will be 

 a success, and that the greater the number who go 

 the better will the Canadians be pleased. Sir Charles 

 Tupper stated that, after a long experience of the Canadian 

 House of Commons, he never saw a vote so unanimously 

 passed as the appropriation of 4000/. for the forthcoming 

 meeting. There are many who still think it a mistaken 

 policy for the Association to leave the shores of these 

 islands, but all of those who were present fully sympa- 

 thised with the very strong expression of approval that met 

 the announcement after announcement ofcheap passages, 

 free railway journeys, and magnificent hospitality offered 

 by the Dominion. General satisfaction was expressed at 

 announcement that those who are unable to spare the 

 time for the long excursions to the Rocky Mountains and 

 elsewhere after the Canada meeting will be allcwed to 

 make those expeditions before the meeting, which will 

 commence on August 27, under the presidency of Prof. 

 Lord Rayleigh. 



For the 1885 meeting Birmingham and Nottingham did 

 not put in applications, the competing towns being Aber- 

 deen and Bournemouth. In favour of the former it was 

 urged that the members of the Association by that time 

 will be so accustomed to long journeys that they will 

 think nothing of the distance to Aberdeen, and that the 

 Scotch meetings have always been a success, both as to 

 numbers and as to the position of those who attended. 

 In favour of Bournemouth it was urged that first meet- 

 ings were always a great success, as at Brighton and 

 the present meeting at Southport. The vote was for the 

 northern University town ; but there was an expression 

 of feeling that the claims of the watering-place should 

 not be forgotten in 1886. 



Prof. Ball's lecture was the most successful of the 

 addresses delivered in the Pavilion. The building, as 

 originally constructed, was oval in shape, with a gallery 



extending round it, and its acoustic properties were then 

 goo I ; subsequently an ordinary theatrical stage and 

 appointments were added to it, which latter were only 

 partially removed for the meeting, and the building was 

 certainly but ill adapted for the large audiences which 

 endeavoured to find room in it. The Reception Room 

 at the Cambridge Hall left nothing to be desired, except 

 a wish that it had been on the ground floor. 



In the Geographical Section much interest was felt in 

 a long paper by Mr. H. H. Johnson, on a visit to Mr. 

 Stanley's stations on the River Congo. The author read 

 a letter he had just received from Mr. Stanley, in which 

 that explorer gives expression to his belief that the River 

 Congo will give civilisation and commerce to the lost 

 Continent. In this Section also an interesting paper was 

 read by Mr. Win. Hancock of the Chinese Imperial Cus- 

 tom Service, on the volcanic and earthquake regions of 

 Central America; by the Rev. S.J. Perry, on Nos Vey 

 and the south-west of Madagascar, which he visited for 

 the late transit of Venus. 



The address of Sir Frederick Bramwell to the working 

 men was a very great success ; his good voice and easy 

 shle told with effect on the crowded audience of working 

 men who came to learn about the telephone, which was 

 clearly shown to be an important factor in commercial 

 life. 



The following is the list of grants of money appro- 

 priated by the General Committee to scientific purposes 

 for next year : — 



A — Mathimatics and Physics 



Brown, Prof. Crum — Meteorological Observations on Ben 



Nevis £<-£> 



Foster, Prof. G. Carey — Electrical Standards 50 



Schuster, Prof. — Meteoric Dust 20 



Abney, Capt. — Standard of White Light 20 



Scott, Mr. R. H. — Synoptic Charts of the Indian Ocean 50 

 Stewart, Prof. Balfour — Meteorological Observatory near 



Chepstow ... 25 



Shoolbred, Mr. J. N. — Reduction of Tidal Observations 10 

 Darwin, Trof. G. H. — Harmonic Analysis of Tidal Ob- 

 servations 45 



B — Chemistry 

 -Photographing the- Ultra-Violet Spark 



Odling, Prof.- 



Spectra 



C— Geology 



Etheridge, Mr. R. — Earthquake Phenomena of Japan ... 

 Williamson, Prof. W. C— Fossil Plants of Halifax 



Sorby, Dr. H. C. — British Fossil Polyzoa 



Prestwich, Prof. — Erratic Blocks 



Etheridge, Mr. R. — Fossil Phyllopoda of the Palaeozoic 



Rocks 



Hull, Prof. E. — Circulation of Underground Waters 



Evans, D r . J, — Geological Record 



Green, Prof. A. H. — Kaygill Fissure 



Prestwich, Prof. — International Geological Map of Europe 



D — Biology 



Newton, Prof. — Zoological Bibliography 



Sclater, P. L. — Natural History of Timor Lnut 



Lankester, Prof. Ray — Table at the Zoological Station at 



Naples 



Harrison, J. Park — Facial Characteristics of Races in the 



liritish Isles 



Hooker, Sir J. — Exploring Kilimanjaro and the adjoining 



Mountains of Equatorial Africa 



Cordeaux, Mr. J. — Migration of Birds 



Foster, Dr. M. — Coagulation of 1 be blood 



Stainton, Mr. H. T. — Record of Zoological Literature ... 



E — Geography 



Godwin-Austen, Lieut. -Col. — Exploration of New Guinea 



F — Economic Science an J Statistics 



Brabrook, Mr. E. W. — Preparation of the Final Report of 

 the Anthropometric Committee 



75 

 15 

 10 

 10 



15 

 IS 

 IS 

 IS 

 20 



5° 

 50 



80 



10 



500 

 20 



5° 

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