Sr.PTEMUKR 3, 1896J 



N^ rURE 



417 



of climate during the Pleistocene period. Sir William 

 Dawsim will deal with pre-Cambrian fossils, and a number 

 of papers are promised on local f;eolo<jy. 



In Section D (Zoology), the {'resident (Prof Poulton) 

 will take as his subject a naturalist's contribution to the 

 discussion on the age of the earth. His object is to 

 show tliat the appearance in time, and succession, of the 

 various groups of animals in every way supports evolu- 

 tion, but an evolution which took its rise in a very much 

 more distant past than the Cambrian or Laurentian. 

 The general result will be to strongly support the 

 geologists against certain of the physicists. The other 

 arranijicments in Section I) are : On Friday forenoon a 

 debate on Neo-Lamarckian theories, probably introduced 

 by I'ri)f. Lloyd Morgan ; and in the afternoon, a report 

 and discussion on the fauna and flora of the Irish Sea ; 

 on .Saturday, a report on the migration of birds, and then 

 a dredging and trawling expedition in Liverpool Bay ; 

 on Monday forenoon, a debate on the ancestry of \erte- 

 brates, introduced by Dr. Gaskell ; on Tuesday forenoon, 

 a joint meeting with the Botanical .Section for a discus- 

 sion on the cell theory ; while Wednesday and the re- 

 maining afternoons will be occupied by papers which 

 have been announced by Prof. Minot and Messrs. 

 Macbride, Xewstead, Benham, Traquair, Hartog, and 

 others. .Sir William Dawson brings some fresh c\ idence 

 in regard to Eozoon, and Dr. Traquair will give the latest 

 information in regard to Pahrospiuulylus, illustrated by 

 recently acquired specimens and an enlarged model. 



In Section E (Geography), the address by the President 

 (Major L. Darw-in) will deal largely with African railways. 

 Papers have been promised by a number of travellers 

 and others, including Mr. Moir (climate of Xyassaland), 

 Mr. Hcawood (African geography), Rev. C. H. Robinson 

 (Hausaland), Mr. Fletcher (journey in Tibet, with Mr. 

 Littledale), Mr. J. Coles (photographic surveying), Mr. 

 \'aughan Cornish (sand-dunes), Mr. H. N. Dixon (marine 

 research in North Atlantic), Mr. E. A. Fitzgerald (the 

 New Zealand Alps), Mr. A. W. Andrews (geography and 

 history in schools), Mr. A. J. Herbertson (geographical 

 teaching). Prof. J. Milne (Japan and its earthquakes). 

 Dr. H. R. Mill (local geography of England), Mr. Harry 

 Lake the Gambia and Senegal). It is hoped that papers 

 will also be offered by Count Pfeil, Mr. Lewin, Mr. 

 Howard, Colonel Woodthorpe, the Archduke Ludwig 

 Salvator, Captain X'andeleur, Colonel Trotter, Mr. Hull, 

 and Mr. Fowler. There will also be reports on African 

 climatology and on geographical education. 



In Section G (^Iechanical Science), the President's 

 address, on Thursday morning, will be followed by a 

 report of the Committee on Tides, and after that comes 

 a paper by Mr. G. F. Lyster on the Dock development of 

 Liverpool. There will be other papers on local engineer- 

 mg works, the Atlantic steamships, the overhead railway, 

 and the Liverpool waterworks. Papers are also announced 

 by Mr. Wolf Barry on the Tower bridge, by Prof. 

 Mengarini on the electric light and tramway systems of 

 Rome, and by Mr. A. R. .Sennett on horseless carriages — 

 a number of which, it is expected, will be shown in 

 operation. 



In Section H (Anthropology), following the precedent 

 which proved so successful at Ipswich last year, it is pro- 

 posed to group the proceedings of the Section round a 

 limited number of large questions which seem more par- 

 ticularly ripe for discussion at this time. The fact that 

 the President, .Mr. A. J. Evans, the Keeper of the Ash- 

 molean Museum at Oxford, has taken a leading part in 

 recent exploration and discovery among the remains of 

 early ri\ ilisation in the Levant, and that a public lecture 

 by Prof Flinders Petrie, last year's .Sectional President, 

 is announced on a kindred subject, suggested the early 

 history nf mankind in the Mediterranean as an appro- 

 priate subject for discussion. 



The I'resident's address, which will be delivered late in 



NO. 1 40 I, VOL. 54] 



the morning of Thursday, may be expected to deal, in 

 part at least, with this department of anthropology, and 

 will be followed by lantern demonstrations of recent 

 Palreolithic discoveries in North-east Africa and else- 

 where. Friday will be devoted to physical anthropology, 

 and the opportunity will be taken of commemorating the 

 centenary of the birth of Dr. Retzius, the celebrated 

 Swedish anthropologist, whose son, himself a dis- 

 tinguished observer, has signified his intention of 

 probably being present. Dr. Dubois will discuss Pithc- 

 uiii//iropi/s, and Dr. Brinton and Dr. Sergi the physical 

 aspect of Mediterranean and, especially, of North African 

 races. Dr. Topinard is expected to be present, and a 

 communication is promised on the pygmies of Central 

 Africa. .Saturday is assigned to reports and discussions- 

 on the collection and registration of ethnographic data, 

 and a resolution in favour of an Imperial Bureau of 

 Ethnology will be brought forward by Mr. C. H. Read, 

 of the British Museum. Folk-lore and descriptive 

 anthropology will also be represented on this day. 

 Monday opens with papers on the early distribution of 

 copper and of iron in Europe and the Mediterranean ; 

 followed by a general discussion of the modes of the 

 transference of culture, and illustrated by an exhibition 

 of the early ornament of North-west Europe. On Tues- 

 day, a general discussion of early Mediterranean civilisa- 

 tion has been arranged. Communications are expected 

 from the President, Dr. Montelius, Mr. Salomon Reinach, 

 Dr. Naue, Dr. Stolpe, Prof Ridgway, and others. On 

 Wednesday, Prof Flinders Petrie's proposal of a national 

 ethnographic storehouse comes up for discussion, and a 

 number of separate comm.unications will be presented. 

 It is hoped that it may be possible to announce somewhat 

 in detail the probable course of each day's discussion 

 during the meeting. 



In Section I, the President (Dr. Gaskell) will give his 

 address and a paper on the origin of X'ertebrates on 

 Monday morning, and after that a joint discussion with 

 the Zoological Section will take place. Other discussions 

 have been arranged within the Physiological Section : 

 (i) on the organisation and correlation of bacteriological 

 work, to be opened by Dr. Sims Woodhead ; and (2) on 

 the presence, and effect, of bacteria in various food 

 matters, by Dr. Kanthack. Profs. Boyce and Herdman 

 will bring forward a report on oysters and typhoid ; and 

 various other papers are announced dealing with excita- 

 bility in muscle and nerve, metabolism, gas exchange, 

 &c. 



In Section K, the President (Dr. D. H. Scott) will deal 

 in his address with the present position of morphological 

 botany, discussing modern work bearing on the origin 

 and affinities of the main groups of plants with reference 

 to fossil as well as to recent forms. The chief features, 

 after the address, will be (i) an afternoon lecture on the 

 geographical distribution of plants, by Mr. W. Thiselton- 

 Dyer, Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew ; (2) the joint 

 discussion with Section D on cell and nuclear structures, 

 to be opened by Prof. Farmer ; and (3) a discussion on 

 the ascent of sap, to be opened by Mr. Francis Darwin of 

 Cambridge. 



We understand that Prof. Flinders Petrie's aim in his 

 evening discourse, entitled " Man before Writing," is to 

 bring forward the character of civilisation in different 

 countries just before the introduction of writing, to show 

 what man is and does before the great change produced 

 by unalterable record and transmissible message : also 

 to point to the methods of research where no written 

 record remains. This period covers what is now the 

 main field of interest in European history, and also the 

 culture of the new race in Egypt. Dr. Francis Elgar's 

 lecture will be on " safety in ships," and Prof. Fleming's 

 lecture to the operatives will be on " the earth a great 

 magnet." W. A. Hkrdm.\N. 



