494 



NA TURE 



[September 24, 1896 



Cheinistiy. 



* Roscoe, Sir H. E. — Wave-length Tables of the Spectra ol 



the Elements ;^I0 



'Reynolds, Prof. J. Emerson. ^Electrolytic Quantitative 



Analysis ... ... ... ... ... lo 



*Bell, Sir J. Lowthian. — Chemical Constituents of Coal... ip 



•Tilden, Prof. W. A. — Isomeric Naphthaline Deriva- 

 tives ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 



Geology. 



■"Hull, Prof. E.— Erratic Blocks lo 



*Bonney, Prof. T. C — Investigation of a Coral Reef by 



Boring and .Sounding (renewed)... ... ... ... 40 



*Seeley, Prof. H. G. — Examination of Locality where the 

 Cetiosaurus in the ().\ford Museum was found (un- 

 expended balance in hand) 

 Elower, Sir W. H. — Fauna of Singapore Caves (un- 

 expended balance) ... ... ... ... 40 



*(;eikie, Prof. J. — Photographs of Geological Interest ... r^ 

 Dawkins, Prof. W. Boyd. — Remains of the Irish Elk in 



the Isle of Man 15 



•Marr, Mr. J. E. — Life Zones in British Carboniferous 



Rocks ... ... . . ... ... 15 



*llerdman. Prof. — Table at the Zoological Station, Naples 100 

 "Bourne, Mr. G. C— Table at the Biological Laboratory, 

 Plymouth ... 



Flower, Sir W. H. — Zoological Bibliography and Pub- 

 lication ... ... 



Elower, Sir W. H. — Index Generiini et Specierum 



Sclater, Dr. P. L.— Zoology and Botany of the West 

 India Islands 



Newton, Prof. — To Work out Details of Observations on 

 the Migiation of Birds 



Geography. 

 "Ravenstein. Mr. E. (_'..— Climatology of Tropical Africa 



Ecoiwinic SciiiKe and Statistics. 



State Monopolies in other Countries ... 



Price, Mr. L. L. — Future Dealings in Raw Produce 



•Preece. .Mr. W. H. 



Mechanical Science. 

 —Small Screw Gauge 



40 



51 

 100 



Antliropology. 

 •Tylor, Prof. E. B.—North-\Vestern Tribes of Canada ... 



*Munro, Dr. R. — Lake Village of Glastonbury 



*Brabrouk, Mr. E. W. — Ethnographical Survey (renewed) 

 *Galton, Sir Douglas.— Mental" and Physical Condition of 



Children 



■"Hartland, Mr. E. S.— Linguistic and Anthropological 



Characteristics of the North Dravidians 



Evans, .Mr. A. J.— Silchester Excavation 



Physiology. 

 Gaskell, Dr. — Investigations of Changes in Active Nerve 

 Cells and their Peripheral Extensions ... 

 *'McKendrick, Prof. J. G.— Physiological Applications of 



the Phonograph ... 

 "Herdman, Prof. W. A. — Oysters under normal and ab- 

 normal environments 



Schafer, Prof. — Physiological Effects of Peptone and its 

 Precursors ... 



Botany, 

 1-armer, Prof. J. B.— Fertilisation in Ph;i;ophyce:v 



Corresponding Societies. 

 ■".Meldola, Prof. R. — Preparation of Report 



2i 



-■•555 



Ke-appointed. 



.\\. the final meeting, held on Wednesday, the usual 

 votes of thanks and concluding speeches were made, and 

 the general impression was e.xpressed that the success of 

 the meeting was characterised by the magnificence of 

 the meeting-rooms, the hospitality of the people of Liver- 

 pool, and the general liveliness of the proceedings. The 

 British Association certainly seems, from the evidence at 

 this, its latest meeting, to be very full of life and vigour. 

 W. A. Herd.m.^n. 



NO. 1404, VOL. 54] 



SECTION C. 



Oi'k.mm; AiniREss by J. E. Marr, M.A., E.R.S.,Sec. G.S., 



PRESIDIiN r OF THE SkCIIO.N. 

 The feelings of one who, being but little versed in the economic 

 applications of his science, is called upon to address a meeting 

 of the Association held in a large industrial centre, might, under 

 ordinary circumstances, be of no very jileasant character ; but I 

 take courage when I remember that those connected with my 

 native county, in which we are now gathered, have taken 

 prominent part in advancing branches of our .science which are 

 not directly concerned with industrial afi'airs. I am reminded, 

 for instance, that one amongst you, himself a busy professional 

 man, has in his book on "The Origin of .Mountain Ranges" 

 given to the world a theoretical work of the highest value ; that, 

 on the opposite side of the county, those who are responsible 

 for the formation and management of that excellent educational 

 institution, the Ancoats >Iuseum, have wisely recognised the 

 value of .stmne knowledge of geology as a means of quickening 

 our appreciation of the beauties of nature : and that one who 

 has done solid service to geology by his teachings, who has kept 

 before us the relationship of our science to that which is beautiful 

 — I refer to the distinguished author of " .Modern Painters" — 

 has chosen the northern part of the county for his home, and 

 has illustrated his teaching afresh by reference to the rocks of 

 the lovely district around him. Nor can I help referring to 

 one who has recently passed away — the late Sir Jo.seph Prestwich 

 — the last link between the pioneers of our science and the 

 geologists of the present day, who, though born in London, was 

 of Lancashire family, and whom we may surely therefore claim 

 as one of Lancashire's worthies. With the.se evidences of the 

 catholicity of taste on the ])art of geologists connected with the 

 county, I feel free to choose my own subject for this address, 

 and, my time being occupied to a large extent with academic 

 work, I may be pardoned for treating that subject in academic 

 fashion. As I have paid considerable attention to the branch of 

 the science which bears the somewhat uncouth designation of 

 stratigraphical geology, I propose to take the present state of 

 our knowledge of this branch as my theme. 



Of the four great divisions of geology, petrology may be 

 claimed as being largely of German origin, the great impetus 

 to its study having been given by Werner and his teachings. 

 PaUvontology may be as justly claimed by the French nation, 

 Cuvier having been to so great an extent respi>n.sible for placing 

 it upon a scientific basis. Physical geology we may partly re- 

 gard as our own, the principles laid down by Hutton and sup- 

 ported by Playfair having received illustration from a host of 

 Briti-sh writers, amongst whom may be mentioned Jukes. 

 Ramsay, and the brothers Geikie ; but the grand principles of 

 physical geology have been so largely illustrated by the magni- 

 iicent and simple features displayed on the other side of the 

 Atlantic, that we may well refer to our American brethren as 

 leaders in this branch of study. The fourth branch, strati- 

 graphical geology, is essentially British as regards origin, and, 

 as every one is aware, its scientific principles were established 

 by William Smith, who was not only the father of English 

 geology, Init of stratigraphical geology in general. 



F"ew will deny that stratigraphical geology is the highest 

 branch of the science, for, as has been well said, it "gathers 

 up the sum of all that is made known by the other dej^artments 

 of the science, and makes it subservient to the interpretation of 

 the geological history of the earth." The object of the strati- 

 gra]ihical geologist is to obtain information concerning all 

 physical, climatic, and biological events which have occurred 

 during each period of the past, and to arrange them in chrono- 

 logical order, so as to write a connected history of the earth. 

 If all of this information were at our disposal, we could write a 

 complete earth-history, and the task of the geologist would be 

 ended. As it is, w-e have barely crossed the threshold of dis- 

 covery, and the "imperfection of the geological record," like 

 the "glorious uncertainty " of our national game, gives geology 

 one of its great charms. Before passing on to cimsider more 

 particularly the present state of the subject of our study, a few 

 remarks upon this imperfection of the geological record may not 

 be out of place, seeing that the term has Ijcen used by so many 

 modern writers, and its exact signification occasionally mis- 

 understood. The imperfection of the pak^ontological record is 

 usually understood by the term when used, and it will be con- 

 .sidered here as an illustration of the incompleteness of our 



