THE 



GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE 



VOLUME LVII. 



No. IX.— SEPTEMBER, 1920. 

 EDITORIAL NOTES. 



TN his Presidential Address to the British Association at Cardiff, 

 -"- Professor Herdman gave an admirable summary of the modern 

 developments of his special subject, Oceanography. This new science 

 comprises portions overlapping from many other fields of research, 

 and Professor Herdman naturally dealt at length with the biological 

 side of it, but even the biology of the deep sea affords evidence 

 as to geological problems, while the geological value of physical 

 oceanography needs no extended demonstration. 



The President of Section C, Dr. F. A. Bather, devoted his address to 

 a comprehensive review of the j)resent position of biological science 

 from the point of view of evolution. This subject naturally appeals 

 very strongly to a palaeontologist, but Dr. Bather did not by any 

 means confine himself to extinct forms. He also quoted modern 

 instances where necessary. We hoj)e to give in a later number a 

 summary of some of the main points brought forward in this 

 admirable address, which should do much to stimulate interest in 

 the newer and more philosophical ideas which are now exerting so 

 much influence in the development of palseobiology. 



In our correspondence columns we print a letter from Professor Marr, 

 inquiring whether any of our readers can assist him in discovering 

 the whereabouts of certain implements found by the late Mr. S. B. J. 

 Skertchly from deposits around Brandon and Mildenhall, in Suffolk, 

 and supposed to be of Mid-Glacial age. It is unnecessary to enlarge 

 on the importance of these implements, if still in existence, and we 

 hope some information may be forthcoming. 



The loss last month of Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., F.R.S., 

 deprives us of a distinguished astronomer and physicist and the 

 founder, in 1869, of the well-known weekly scientific journal 

 Nature, whose " jubilee " was held last year. Born at Rugby in 

 1836, he was appointed a clerk in the War Office in 1857, Director 

 of the Solar Physics Observatory, South Kensington, 1885- 

 1913, President of the British Association 1903-4, Director of 

 eight English Eclipse Expeditions (between 1870 and 1905), 



VOL. LVII. — NO. IX. 25 



