NOTES AND COMMENTS. 
DOMINANCY IN NATURE. 
“Dominancy in Nature, and its Correlation with Evolution, 
Phylogeny, and Geographical Distribution, by John W. Taylor, 
embodies Mr. Taylor’s Presidential Address to the Yorkshire 
Naturalists’ Union at their Fifty-first Annual Meeting. It is 
a successful attempt to sketch the great movements in Nature, 
as to the distribution of species. As in the case of man we 
find the more highly developed races arising and pressing back 
the weaker and less advanced types, so, Mr. Taylor ably 
shows, this principle of dominancy prevails in every realm of 
life, and from mammal, bird, insect, and plant he draws the 
same lesson: that the stronger is constantly thrusting back 
the feebler, and that even the fungus works on the motto 
adopted by Rob Roy :— 
‘That they shall take who have the power, 
And they shall keep who can.’ 
No publisher’s name appears to be given.’ So says the 
Yorkshire Post, so that evidently the address has been 
published, though so far we have not had the pleasure of seeing 
a copy. 
THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION. 
The Annual Conference of the Museums Association will 
be held at Hull, on the invitation of the Mayor and Corporation, 
during the week commencing July 14th, under the presidency 
of Mr. E. Howarth. From the preliminary programme 
which has been issued, it seems that three sessions are to be 
devoted to the reading and discussion of papers; visits are to 
be paid to the Natural History Museum, the Wilberforce 
Historical Museum and the Museum of Fisheries and Shipping. 
There are to be excurisons to Bridlington and Flamborough, 
to Burton Constable, and to Spurn by steamer. The social 
side of the meeting is also well catered for. 
THE BEGINNINGS OF GEOLOGY. 
It is interesting now and again to look back upon the begin- 
nings of things, and while a century ago can hardly be looked 
upon as the actual beginning of the science of geology, it was 
about that time that William Smith laid the foundation stones 
of the science as we now knowit. The following quaint extracts 
relating to early Yorkshire Geology are taken from the York- 
shire volume of “ The Beauties of England and Wales,” and 
are from the pen of John Bigland, whose book shows that he 
was particularly well informed on many subjects. 
1913 May 1. O 
c ae 
ee Ne tens hee 2 ete 
