470 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LVI, No. 1452 



luminescence; Professor Setchell, who has 

 spent several seasons in the South PaoLfie in 

 floristie studies. And in this eonneetion must 

 be mentioned also the unfinished researches of 

 Doctor Mayor himself, who visited the Samoan 

 Islands for the purpose of making observations 

 on the rate and the conditions of the growth of 

 corals, and who was laying plans, up to within 

 a few days of his death, for another expedi- 

 tion to the South Pacific for tihe purpose of 

 continuing his own and other investigations. 



The life of the tropical sea presents unlimit- 

 ed opportunities for fruitful scientific investi- 

 gation and it is the stated purpose of the la- 

 boratory to provide facilities for such in- 

 vestigations from a broad point of view. The 

 published results clearly indicate that this pur- 

 pose is being achieved in full measure. Stu- 

 dents of marine biology confidently hope that 

 the Carnegie Institution of Washington will 

 continue to support the Department of Marine 

 Biology so that the study of life in the sea 

 may be continued with undiminished energj' 

 and with unrestricted scope. 



a. a. schaefpee 



University of Tennessee, Knosville 



THE MOUNT EVExREST EXPEDITION 



In an account of the expedition The Geo- 

 graphical Journal says that the early 'eiimbing 

 season of 1922 was vary brief. The expedition 

 reached its base camp below the Rongbuk gla- 

 cier at the end of AprU, when winter still held 

 in the valley: and in the first days of June the 

 monsoon broke and the season was over — at 

 any rate until September. In the few weeks 

 available there were two highly successful 

 climbs, and a third which ended badly in the 

 avalanche. Within six weeks most of the best 

 climbers were out of action by frostbite, and 

 the whole party so exhausted by the prolonged 

 exertion above 16,000 feet that there could be 

 no thought of renewing the attack in the 

 autumn. 



The final conquest of the mountain must 

 wait, then, for a third year's campaign, organ- 

 ized in die light of this year's experience and 

 this year's gi'eat though not complete success. 

 Closer acquaintance with the mountain has 

 shown that the physical difficulties are more 



formidable, the physiological difficulties de- 

 cidedly less, than had been supposed: the or- 

 ganization and equipment were on the right 

 lines and in most respects perfect. But the 

 weather introduces each year an incalculable 

 factor, against which the best schemes may be 

 laid in vain. 



In October those members of the expedition 

 who went out from England will reassemble on 

 the platform of the Central Hall to recount 

 their adventures and to receive the hearty con- 

 gratulations they have earned so well. The 

 meeting will regret that they can not welcome 

 and congratulate with them the four officers of 

 the Indian service whose duty will keep them 

 in India. 



By the last reports we are glad to learn that 

 Major Morshead is doing well, and that he will 

 lose no more than the tips of three fingers of 

 the frost-bitten hand. The other members of 

 the party who suffered less are already quite 

 recovered: several are already home and others 

 well on their way. General Bruce with head- 

 quarters arrived in Darjeeling on August 2, 

 and the only member of the expedition left in 

 Tibet is Captain Noel, who has established a 

 photographic dark-room at Gyantse, and is 

 hard at work developing many thousands of 

 feet of cinematograph film and a great quan- 

 tity of plates and j)anoram films. His leisure 

 he spends in "filming" Tibetan life and cus- 

 toms; and he is not due in England until the 

 middle of October. It will therefore not be 

 possible to show any of the film at the joint 

 meeting of tie society and the Alpine Club at 

 the Central Hall on Monday, October 16, when 

 General Bruce and several memlsers of the 

 party will give the first account of their work. 

 A second joint meeting will be held on Novem- 

 ber 21 for the first show of the film, Avhieh will 

 be awaited with great interest. Captain Noel 

 did extraordinarily well in getting his cinemato- 

 graph camera, fitted with an enormous tele- 

 photo lens, to 23,000 feet on the Chang La, 

 and photographing the climbing to about 

 26,000 feet. He writes that the Sinclair camera 

 and the big lens by Taylor, Taylor & Hobson 

 have been a great success. The latter was a 

 heavy addition to the outfit, but it saved his 

 life in the diaster which befell the third climb- 



