636 



NA TURE 



[October 26, 1905 



the analogy of these flints from the cement manu- 

 factory near Mantes with the so-called eoliths from 

 Tertiary beds is substantiated, and he regards it as 

 undeniable that these Mantes eoliths have been pro- 

 duced, and are being continually produced, apart from 

 the intention of any human being. 



In conclusion, he directs attention to the importance 

 of migration both in history and in the development 

 of all fossil groups. Nothing, he says, proves that 

 the evolution of the human species or genus took 

 place in one particular spot. It is very possible that 

 man appeared suddenlv in this part of the world at 

 the beginning of the Quaternary period, at the same 

 time as the mammalian fauna of which he forms part, 

 and which is verv different from the last fauna of 

 Pliocene times. As a palaeontologist, he believes 

 firmly in the existence of Tertiary man, traces of 

 whom, he doubts not, will eventually be found in 

 some part of the world ; but for these to be indis- 

 putable, they must possess a very different value from 

 that of the eoliths. 



In addition to M. Boule's memoir, an important 

 article has appeared in the Archiv fiir Anthropologic 

 (Neue Folge, vol. iv., p. 75), " Zur Eolithenfrage." 

 It is from the pen of Dr. Hugo Obermaier, of Paris, 

 who has also visited the cement works near Mantes, 

 and entertains views upon the subject almost identical 

 with those of M. Boule. He begins with a historical 

 sketch of the discoveries of eoliths in beds from the 

 Oligocene downwards to the Quaternary, and then 

 proceeds to describe and discuss the modern products 

 of the delayeiirs, of one of which he gives a section. 

 The paper is illustrated by eight plates, six of which 

 are photographic. The first gives eight specimens of 

 reputed eoliths from Miocene beds at Duan, near 

 Brou (Eure et Toire). The other five are devoted to 

 examples from Mantes, not a few of which present 

 the " hollow-scraper " notches so often seen on 

 eoliths. The remaining two plates contain reproduc- 

 tions of wood-cut figures of eoliths from various locali- 

 ties, so as to afford means of comparison between the 

 old and the new. 



He directs attention to an admission of M. Rutot 

 that the eolithic industry is confined to localities where 

 two conditions exist, the one that there was an 

 abundance of the raw material flint, and the other 

 that there was a stream of water in the neighbour- 

 hood, conditions which, in a modified form, exist at 

 Mantes. 



Want of space precludes a longer notice of this 

 interesting article. We may, however, quote Dr. 

 Oberniaier's words in a letter to the editor of the 

 Archiv fUr Anihropologie (Neue Folge Corr. Blatt. , 

 July, 1905, p. 50) : — " We have now an experimental 

 proof that eoliths can be formed in a purely 

 mechanical manner." 



NOTES. 

 As already announced, the inaugural meeting of the 

 British Science Guild will be held on Monday next, 

 October 30, at the Mansion House, at 4.15 p.m. The 

 Lord Mayor will preside, and will be supported, among 

 others, by the Lord Bishop of Ripon, Lord .Strathcona and 

 Mount Royal, the Right Hon. R. B. Haldane, K.C., M.P., 

 Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge, G.C.B., General Sir Frederick 

 Maurice, K.C.B., Sir John Wolfe-Barry, K.C.B., F.R.S., 

 Sir William Ramsay, K.C.B., F.R.S., Mr. C. W. Macara^ 

 and Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S. 



A MEETING of the general committee of the British 

 Association will be held in the rooms of the Linnean 

 Society, Burlington House, on Tuesday next, October 31, 

 NO. 1878, VOL. 72] 



at 3 p.m., for the purpose of appointing officers for the 

 meeting of the association to be held at York next year, 

 and of deciding upon the place of meeting in 1907. 



The Paris correspondent of the Times states that M. 

 G^rault-Richard proposes to ask the French Parliament to 

 vote a credit of 100,000 francs (4000/.) for the investigation 

 of the best means of combating tuberculosis. The Minister 

 of Education, M. Bienvenu-Martin, has promised the sup- 

 port of the Government. 



The death is announced of Prof. DeWitt Bristol Brace, 

 head of the department of physics in the University of 

 Nebraska, and one of the leading physicists of the United 

 States. He was in his forty-seventh year, and had just 

 entered upon his nineteenth year of teaching in the L'ni- 

 versity of Nebraska. 



An international exhibition in connection with ceramic 

 industries, and with the manufacture of glass and crystal, 

 will be held in 1906 from June to October at the Champs- 

 Elys^es and the Cours-la-Reine. Full information can be 

 obtained from the director-general of the exhibition, 19 

 rue Saint-Roch, Paris. 



We learn from the Pharmacciilical Journal that the 

 Heriot trust governors have decided to establish a labor- 

 atory at the Heriot Watt College, Edinburgh, for the study 

 of bacteriology in its relation to various industries. The 

 laboratory has been fitted with the best rppliances, and 

 the services of Dr. Westergaard have been retained to 

 supervise it. The laboratory was formally opened by a 

 lecture by Prof. Hansen on October 18. 



A STRONG earthquake shock was felt in Constantinople 

 on October 22 at 5.55 a.m. The disturbances, which lasted 

 several seconds, appeared to travel from the north-east 

 towards the south-west, and were accompanied by a 

 rumbling noise. Earthquake shocks were felt at 2 p.m. on 

 the same day at Batum, and between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. 

 at Kutais. An undulating tremor lasting forty seconds 

 was also experienced at Sukhum-Kaleh. 



A CONFERENCE of delegates from the corresponding 

 societies affiliated to the British Association will be held 

 in the rooms of the Linnean Society on Monday and 

 Tuesday, October 30 and 31, under the presidency of Dr. 

 A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S. Among the subjects to be 

 discussed are " The Preservation of Native Plants," to be 

 introduced by Prof. G. S. Boulger, and " The Law of 

 Treasure Trove," which will be introduced by Dr. W. 

 Martin. The delegates will visit the museum of the Royal 

 College of Surgeons, and will dine on Monday evening as 

 guests of the Royal Societies Club. 



A Reuter message states that the Berlin Meteorological 

 Observatory, which the Emperor recently opened in the 

 presence of the Prince of Monaco, is fitted with all the 

 latest appliances for meteorological research. The Emperor 

 attaches great importance to the use of balloons in meteor- 

 ology, so that an extensive balloon hall has been included 

 in the building plan of the new observatory at Lindenberg, 

 near Berlin. On the highest point of the plateau on which 

 the observatory stands is a shed which can be turned to 

 any point of the compass, and contains a cable drum driven 

 by a small electric motor for hauling in kites, which are to 

 be extensively used for meteorological purposes. Electric 

 search-lights have also been installed for night observation. 

 .\nother interesting feature of the new institute is the kite 

 factory, where large kites, fitted with self-registering instru- 

 ments, are made. The institute has its own establishment 



