a te 
, eee e 
_ Marcu 10, 1923] 

for the skull is not probable. The flattened appear- 
ance of the skull, upon which stress is laid in the 
report of the discovery, may be due to pathological 
causes, but more probably is, as often happens, 
a case of flattening due to post-mortem pressure 
after burial. Further details of the measurements 
of the skull will be awaited with interest, as it will 
be important to note whether, notwithstanding its 
distortion, it is to be ascribed to the Mediterranean 
long-headed type. 
On February 12, Prof. Otto Pettersson, director of 
the Swedish Hydrographic Biological Commission, 
Gothenburg, celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary 
of his birth, and both chemists and oceanographers in 
this country, to whom his genial personality is so 
well known, will wish to join in offering him their 
congratulations and their good wishes for his future 
prosperity. Having in early life made a European 
reputation as a chemist, Prof. Pettersson turned his 
attention to the study of oceanography, and much of 
the work in that subject during the last thirty years 
has owed its success to his initiative and inspiration. 
His name is particularly associated with the founda- 
tion in 1902 of the International Council for the Study 
_ of the Sea, of which organisation he was president for 
a number of years. It was largely owing to Prof. 
_Pettersson’s influence and efforts that the Council 
survived the trying period of the European war and 
has since renewed and extended the valuable co- 
operative researches which it is conducting in the 
interests of the fisheries. We rejoice to know that in 
spite of his advanced age, Prof. Pettersson’s zeal for 
Scientific work is in no way abated, and that he 
remains an active and energetic investigator, more 
especially of problems affecting the sea. 
THE sixth Silvanus Thompson memorial lecture of 
the Réntgen Society is to be delivered on Tuesday, 
May 1, by Dr. C. Thurston Holland. 
Tur gold medal of the Astronomical Society of the 
Pacific was presented to M. B. Baillaud, director of 
the Paris Observatory, at the American Embassy in 
Paris on February 26. 
Dr. CHRISTOPHER K. INGOLD was awarded the 
Meldola medal of the Institute of Chemistry, for the 
second time, at the annual general meeting of the 
Institute held on March 1. 
AN excursion to Devizes and Salisbury Plain, 
extending from May 18 to 21 inclusive, particulars 
of which are obtainable from Mr. B. H. Cunnington, 
Wiltshire Archeological Society, Devizes, has been 
arranged by the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. 
THE Medical Research Council has appointed the 
following scientific committee to organise an in- 
vestigation into dog’s distemper: Sir William B. 
Leishman (chairman), Mr. J. B. Buxton, Capt. S. R. 
Douglas, Prof. F. Hobday, and Dr. C. J. Martin. 
A member of the Council’s staff will act as secretary 
to the committee, and communications should be 
addressed to the Secretary, Distemper Research 
Committee, 15 York Buildings, Adelphi, W.C.2. 
NO. 2784, VOL. 111] 

NATURE 
gar 
Tue British Association recently acted in co-opera- 
tion with a number of other “ travelling "’ societies in 
requesting the railway companies to revert to the 
pre-war practice of granting return tickets at single 
fare and one-third to members attending meetings, 
on presentation of a voucher. The Association has 
now been informed that in connexion with its next 
annual meeting, in Liverpool, September 12-19, this 
concession will be made by the companies. 

Ar the meeting of the Franklin Institute of the 
State of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, held on February 
21, Dr. Lee de Forest received the Elliott Cresson 
gold medal awarded to him by the Institute for his 
invention of the three-electrode audion. In present- 
ing Dr. de Forest for this award, his invention was 
characterised as one of the most important ever made 
in the field of the electrical transmission of intelligence, 
and one which through its development has marked 
a profound revolution in the art of radio communica- 
tion. 
Tue tenth annual general meeting of the Institu- 
tion of Petroleum Technologists will be held at the 
house of the Royal Society of Arts on Tuesday, 
March 13, when an address will be delivered by Prof. 
J.S.S. Brame, the retiring president. The president- 
elect for the ensuing session is Mr. Herbert Barringer, 
and the vice-presidents are Mr. Alfred C. Adams, Sir 
George Beilby, Sir John Cargill, Viscount Cowdray of 
Cowdray, Mr. Arthur W. Eastlake, and Sir Thomas 
H. Holland. 
Ar the annual general meeting of the Optical 
Society, held on February 8, the following officers 
and council were elected : President: Prof. A. Barr. 
Vice-Presidents: Sir Frank Dyson, Mr. T. Smith, 
and Mr. R. S. Whipple. Hon. Treasurer: Maj. 
E. O. Henrici. Hon. Secretaries: (a) Business 
Secretary, Prof. Alan Pollard, Imperial College of 
Science and Technology, South Kensington, S.W.7; 
and (b) Papers Secretary, Mr. F. F, S. Bryson, Glass 
Research Association, 50 Bedford Square, W.C.r. 
Hon. Librarian: Mr. J. H. Sutcliffe, Editor of 
Transactions: Dr. J. S. Anderson. Council: Dr. 
J. S. Anderson, Instr.-Comdr. T. Y. Baker, Mr. 
W. M. Brett, Prof. F. J. Cheshire, Mr. R. W. Cheshire, 
Dr. R. S. Clay, Mr. H. H. Emsley, Mr. P. F. Everitt, 
Dr. J. W. French, Miss L. M. Gillman, Mrs. C. H. 
Griffiths, Dr. L. C. Martin, Prof. A. W. Porter, 
Mr. F. Twyman, and Mr. A. Whitwell. 
A NEW meteorological observatory at Santa Cruz, 
Teneriffe, Canary Islands, was sanctioned by Royal 
Decree in July 1921. It is now announced that the 
building has been started, and will probably be com- 
pleted shortly. The fact is noted in the Meteoro- 
logical Magazine for February, and it is stated that 
the Island of Teneriffe already has a first-class 
observatory at Izana, situated 2307 metres above 
sea-level. “Being on the direct route from Lisbon 
to Rio de Janeiro, these two observatories will be 
of great service to transatlantic aerial navigation. 
The note adds that a\ hydroplane station is also to 
be established on the island. 
