September 26, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



303 



Dr. C. a. Mercier, physician for mental 

 diseases to Charing Cross Hospital, and a dis- 

 tinguished authority upon mental diseases 

 and related subjects, died on September 2 at 

 sixty-seven years of age. 



The death is announced of Dr. William 

 Smith Greenfield, professor of pathology and 

 clinical medicine in the IJniversity of Edin- 

 burgh from 1881 to 1912. 



The Bureau of Mines Experiment Station at 

 Pittsburgh will be dedicated with suitable cere- 

 monies on September 29 and 30 and October 1. 

 The exercises carried out in connection with 

 the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce include 

 an excursion to the experimental mine near 

 Bruceton, and first-aid and mine-rescue con- 

 tests. 



The seventh meeting of the Spanish Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of the Sciences was 

 held at Bilbao from September 7 to 12. 

 There will be eight sections. The French 

 Association for the Advancement of Science 

 and corresponding bodies in Great Britain, 

 Italy and other nations, have been invited to 

 send delegates. 



The South African Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science held its annual meeting 

 from July 7 to 12 inclusive, the first three 

 days in Kingwilliamstown, the last three in 

 East London. Wm. Flint, D.D., librarian of 

 the Union of South Africa Parliament, was 

 this year's president. Dr. I. B. Pole Evans, 

 D.Sc, chief phytopathologist to the Union 

 government was elected to succeed him. The 

 outstanding feature of the meeting was a 

 paper by Dr. A. Pyper, M.D., of Bethal, Trans- 

 vaal, on " Diffraction phenomena in films of 

 blood-cells and in surface-cultures of micro- 

 organisms," in which these phenomena were 

 applied for exact measurement of diameter of 

 blood-cells, etc. The total attendance of mem- 

 bers of the " SjAj " (as the association is 

 called in colloquial speech in South Africa) 

 was over 110. 



Authority has been granted for the killing 

 of 1,000 three-year-old 'seals on St. Paul Island 

 this fall fop food for the natives, and to in- 

 crease the take of 4-year-olds on St. George Is- 



land from 300 to 500 in the current season. 

 Killing of 6-year-olds and over will also pro- 

 ceed less vigorously on St. George Island, as 

 proper proportions between the different age 

 classes on that island are being more nearly 

 attained. The above modifications in the 

 quota have been made upon recent telegraphic 

 recommendations of employees in charge at 

 the Pribilof Islands. 



Particulars respecting the British govern- 

 ment competition for the construction of 

 aeroplanes and seaplanes on the lines of in- 

 creased safety are given in Nature. The fol- 

 lowing prizes are offered: For aeroplanes of 

 small type: First prize, £10,000; second prize, 

 £4,000, and third prize £2,000. For large aero- 

 planes: First prize, £20,000; second prize, 

 £8,000, and third prize, £4,000. For seaplanes : 

 First prize, £10,000; second prize. £4,000, and 

 third prize, £2,000. The latest date for entries 

 is December 31 next. Sir H. H. Shephard has 

 instituted a memorial to his son, the late Brig- 

 adier-General G. S. Shephard, in the shape of 

 prizes for members of the Royal Air Force for 

 essays relating to aviation. This year the 

 prizes are to be awarded for essays on " Sea 

 and Fleet Reconnaissance " and " Aerial Navi- 

 gation and Pilotage." The administration of 

 the annual competitions is to be carried out by 

 the Air Council. 



Hydrobiologists and others interested in the 

 study of bottom fauna may now obtain, made 

 to order in the United States, a quantitative 

 bottom-sampler as used by Peterson in recent 

 investigations at the Danish Biological Station. 

 These machines are being built by a competent 

 and responsible house in Illinois, whose name 

 and address may be obtained by writing the 

 State Natural History Survey, Urbana, Illi- 

 nois. One machine is already in successful 

 operation at the Illinois Biological Station, 

 and a second is being made for another Illi- 

 nois institution. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 



NEWS 

 The Lord Strathcona legacy to Yale Uni- 

 versity, which amounts to about $600,000 will 



