August 27, 1908 



NA TURE 



395 



herence to the rule of priority is far from meeting 

 with general support, at least in this country. 



The undersigned zoologists, whilst fully realising the 

 justice and utility of the rule of priority in the choice of 

 scientific names for animals, as first laid down by a com- 

 mittee of the British Association in 1842, wish to protest 

 against the abuse to which it has been put as a result of 

 the most recent codes of nomenclature, and consider that 

 names which have had currency for a great number of 

 years should, unless preoccupied, be retained in the sense 

 in which they have been universally used. Considering the 

 confusion that must result from the strict application of 

 the rule of priority, they would welcome action leading to 

 the adoption of a scheme by which such names as have 

 received the sanction of general usage, and have been in- 

 variably employed by the masters of zoology, in the past 

 century, would be scheduled as unremovable. 



(Signe3) 



E. Ray Lankester. 



K. Sedgwick. 



P. Chalmers Mitchell. 



Sydney J. Hickson. 



R. Bowdler Sharpe. 



A. E. Shipley. 



J. .Arthur Thomson. 



Gilbert C. Bourne. 



E. S. Goodrich. 

 J. J. Lister. 



W. C. iVIcIntosh. 



F. Jeffrey Bell. 

 W. T. Caiman. 

 VV. E. Hoyle. 

 A. M. Norman. 

 J. Graham Kerr. 



K. Giinther. 



J. C. Ewart. 



d'Arcy W. Thompson. 



Henry Woodward. 



E. \. Minchin. 



P. L. Sclater. 



W. N. Parker. 



W. J. Sollas. 



Edward B. Poulton. 



Chas. O. Waterhouse. 



A. Smith Woodward. 



S. F. Harmer. 



W. Bateson. 



D. Sharp. 



J. Stanley Gardiner. 



G. A. Boulenger. 



TH£ SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION FOR 

 THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



'TpHE visit of the British Association to South 

 ■*■ Africa in 1905 in many ways undoubtedly repre- 

 sented the high-water mark of scientific effort in the 

 various colonies for some time to come. Three years 

 ago the results of the commercial inflation consequent 

 upon the war were only feebly foreshadowed, and 

 Governments and people still hoped that the depres- 

 sion then beginning to loom would pass away. 

 To-day no reasonable person questions that the 

 colonies will, for a time, have to be run on a lower 

 level, and unfortunately education and scientific en- 

 deavour have to be adapted to this standard. As 

 regards association matters, Cape Town apparently 

 exhausted itself in the 1905 effort, but now congratu- 

 lates itself as the headquarters of the newly chartered 

 Royal .Society of South Africa. The Transvaal main- 

 tains its vigorous interest in the aims of the associa- 

 tion, and has largely contributed to the success of the 

 subsequent meetings, Kimberley in 1906, Natal in 

 1907, and the Grahainstown gathering just concluded. 

 The Grahamstown meetings, held at the Rhodes 

 University College, were attended by about seventy 

 visiting members, an encouraging number when one 

 considers distances in South Africa. These, together 

 with about one hundred local members and associates, 

 served to justify fully the continuance of the annual 

 gatherings of the association, and afforded that per- 

 sonal touch with fellow-workers so much needed by 

 the comparatively isolated colonial man of science. 

 The meetings were held under the presidency of Sir 

 Walter Hely-Hutchinson, G.C.M.G., Governor and 

 Commander-in-Chief of Cape Colony, and in his un- 

 avoidable absence, owing to Parliament being in 

 session, his place was taken by Prof. S. Schonland, 

 one of the vice-presidents of the association. The 



NO. 2026, VOL. 78] 



Goverjior's presidential address, which dealt mainly 

 with the progress of scientific research in South 

 Africa, was read by the Hon. Mr. Justice Graham, a 

 grandson of the founder of Grahamstown. 



Though Grahamstown was not deemed worthy to 

 receive the British Association in 1905, a function 

 reminiscent of the parent association was the first 

 annual award of the South African medal and grant 

 of 50/., raised in cotnmemoration of the visit, " for 

 achievement and promise in scientific research in 

 South Africa." This was presented to Dr. Arnold 

 Theiler, C.M.G., bacteriologist to the Transvaal 

 Department of Agriculture, in recognition of his 

 researches on animal diseases. 



The meetings were divided into five sections, as 

 follows : — Section A (mathematics, physics, astro- 

 nomy, meteorology, and geography); president, Dr. 

 Alex. W. Roberts; address, "Variable Star Re- 

 search." Comparatively few papers were contributed 

 to this section. Sections B and C (chemistry, metal- 

 lurgy, geology, engineering, mining) ; president. Prof. 

 E. H. L. Schwarz ; address, "The Geological Dis- 

 coveries of Economic Importance made by the Albany 

 Pioneers." A dozen papers were offered on geological, 

 mining, and engineering subjects. Section D (botany, 

 zoology, agriculture, forestry, bacteriology, physi- 

 ology) ; president. Prof. S. Schonland ; address, 

 " Some Aspects of Recent Progress in Pure and 

 Applied Natural Science." This was the strongest 

 section in contributions, the papers being mainly of 

 zoological, botanical, and agricultural interest. Sec- 

 tion "E (education, psychology, history) ; president, 

 Mr. E. G. Gane; address, "Tendencies in Modern 

 Education." A special debate on native education 

 took place in this section, the chief points of dispute 

 being whether the native should be educated in the 

 vernacular or the English language, and whether his 

 education should be continued as far as university 

 standards. About fifteen other papers dealt largely 

 with different aspects of education. Section F 

 (economics, archa-ology, ethnology) ; president, Mr. 

 W. Hammond Tooke ; address, " Notes on the Earlier 

 Contributions to South African Anthropology." A 

 dozen other papers were devoted mainly to anthropo- 

 logical subjects, and a demonstration of the ethno- 

 logical exhibits in the Albany Museum was included. 



The social functions included a reception by the 

 Mayor and Corporation, receptions and entertain- 

 ments bv the various educational organisations of the 

 city, visits to local institutions and places of interest, 

 including a day at Port .Alfred, and half a day at an 

 ostrich farm. The evening popular lectures included 

 one by Prof. G. E. Cory, on the history of the 

 Eastern Province, and another by Dr. Theiler, on 

 animal diseases in South Africa. 



At the closing meeting of the council it was decided 

 to hold the next (seventh) annual meeting of the 

 association at Bloemfontein, under the presidency of 

 the Governor of the Orange River Colony. 



The annual meetings of the South African 

 Ornithologists' Union were held conjointly with the 

 meetings of the association, and were comparatively 

 well attended. The president. Prof. J. E. Duerden, 

 gave an address devoted to his researches upon the 

 domesticated ostrich in South .Africa, and several 

 other papers on more orthodox ornithological subjects 

 were contributed. At the business meeting a discus- 

 sion took place as to the conduct of the Journal of 

 the Union, when it was decided to issue a series of 

 popular bulletins in addition to the Journal, with a 

 view to encourage a wider interest in ornithological 

 matters amongst sportsmen, farmers, and others. 



J. E. Duerden. 



