148 Editorial Notes. 



Mr. F. W. Harmer, M.A., F.GLS., was formerly Fellow of King's 

 College, Lecturer in Zoology, and Superintendent of the University 

 Museum of Zoology at Cambridge. In 1907 he was appointed 

 Keeper of Zoology at the Natural History Museum, and it is under- 

 stood that he will continue to hold this post for a time, conjointly 

 with the Directorship. Dr. Harmer has specialized in Invertebrata, 

 especially Polyzoa, and with Dr. Shipley, now Vice-Chancellor of 

 the University, he edited the Cambridge Natural History. Geologists 

 may feel every confidence that in Dr. Harmer's hands the interests of 

 their science will receive due consideration, and that every facility 

 will be afforded to enable the specialists in charge of the different 

 branches of the Museum to maintain the high standard of the 

 collections and to continue their invaluable work of investigation 

 and research. This appointment is very satisfactory also in that it 

 shows the success of the protest put forward by many leading 

 zoologists and geologists against the proposed appointment of 

 a layman to this important post, which may be regarded as the blue 

 ribbon of the biological world. 



The Mining Magazine for February last contains a reprint of an 

 interesting lecture by Mr. J. Morrow Campbell on the minerals of 

 the Tavoy district of Burma, a region which has lately come into so 

 much prominence as a producer of tungsten ores. As is well known, 

 the origin and mode of occurrence of the ores in Tavoy have led to 

 a good deal of controversy. Without entering in any way into the 

 merits of the rival theories, it is perhaps permissible to point out the 

 great interest which attaches to such investigations from the scientific 

 as well as from the practical point of view. The origin of ore- 

 deposits and the laws governing their formation are matters within 

 the province of the theoretical petrologist just as much as the study 

 of the silicates, and they possess the added advantage of possibly 

 leading to results of practical value in the prospecting and locating 

 of valuable mining areas. If it can be established, as seems possible, 

 that ores of particular metals commonly show definite relations to 

 one another and to certain types of igneous rock, it will become 

 possible to draw conclusions as to the probability of successful 

 development of metalliferous areas by exploration of a particular 

 kind, such as diamond drilling, for example. As a concrete instance 

 the well-known relations of copper and tin ores in Cornwall may be 

 mentioned, or the association of platinum with serpentine, which 

 actually led to the discovery, based on scientific reasoning, of 

 platinum in the Serrania de Honda in the South of Spain. In this 

 way the theoretical and the practical geologist can work hand in 

 hand for their mutual benefit and the good of the science in general. 



An kr two years' interval owing to war conditions, the British 

 Association for the Advancement of Science will resume its series of 

 annual meetings this year at Bournemouth, from September 9 to 13, 

 under the presidency of the Hon. Sir Charles Parsons, K.C.B., F.B.S. 



