396 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. L. No. 1295 



selves. I was in hiding behind a tree about fifteen 

 yards from them looking at them, when I saw an 

 elephant with four tusks as roughly represented in 

 the attached sketch. 



The left tusk was the bigger and had the usual 

 direction, but the direction of the small tusk was 

 downwards and came out from under the big one. 

 It was round, and its thickness was about 2J 

 inches. 



The direction of the right tusk was downwards 

 and the small tusk came out from \mder it in the 

 usual direction, but it was smaU like the other one. 



I did not know that this elephant was so valu- 

 able and for this reason I did not try to shoot it, 

 although the Ombashi and the soldier who were 

 with me told me to shoot it, but I refused. This is 

 all the story. 



Abd El-Farag Ali, M.A. 



Tambio, 



February 17, 1919 



QUOTATIONS 



THE WORK OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 

 FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 



Your leading article of this morning ex- 

 presses some dissatisfaction which even those 

 who have best cause to be satisfied with the 

 recent meeting will readily share. Ton sneer 

 at the "vast sum" of £1,300 provided for 

 research at the outcome of the meeting. "We 

 all share your obvious wish that it were much 

 larger, and the treasurer especially made that 

 desire clear at one of the evening meetings. 

 Any hint you may give us how it may be 

 increased will be gratefully received. Mean- 

 while it is possible that its exact significance 

 is not fully understood. It represents, so to 

 speak, the extra charges for heating and 

 lighting when a big factory is run overtime 

 by voluntary workers. The main expenses of 

 the scientific organization of the country, in- 

 cluding the salaries of professors and demon- 

 strators, are met in quite other ways. Some 

 members of ths large staff find that they have 

 time and energy to work overtme — to conduct 

 some research which has occurred to them as 

 desirable if only a piece of apparatus can be 

 provided or the expenses of a series of com- 

 putations met. They ask for no addition to 

 their salaries for this work, though such ad- 

 ditions could in many cases be reasonably 



defended. They come to the British Asso- 

 ciation only for out-of-pocket expenses. The 

 value of the work thus done is enormous, and 

 if fully remunerated would represent a sum 

 many times greater than that actually de- 

 voted to it. 



It follows that there is a limit to possible 

 expenditure of this kind. I do not mean to 

 suggest that has been reached, but clearly 

 the impaid overtime obtained from a given 

 staff has its limits. There comes a point at 

 which more work can be got only by adding 

 to the staff, and at this point the British 

 Association generally hands over the matter 

 to some other body. Thus the beginnings of 

 our Great Ifational Physical Laboratory, now 

 added to the scientific resotu-ces of the nation, 

 may be traced in the earnest but unassuming 

 work done by the British Association many 

 years ago when in your own words " some of 

 the best brains in Great Britain met in 

 solemn conclave to allot the vast sum " of 

 about £1,000, only a fraction of which could 

 be devoted to the fundamental work of fixing 

 accurately the electrical and other standards. 

 The war has accustomed us to the huge sums 

 which are apparently available for destruc- 

 tion: it is a commonplace that the begin- 

 nings of the most important constructive 

 work are usually small. Is your sneer alto- 

 gether appropriate? 



With your suggestions that the camp 

 followers should be dismissed and the dis- 

 cussions specially directed to the " technical 

 methods on which the progress of science 

 depends" I do not find myself altogether in 

 sympathy. We owe much to the camp fol- 

 lowers, even beyond the money they provide 

 for research; and the experts can meet at the 

 Royal Society for technical discussions. But 

 I scarcely know whether you would welcome 

 a reconsideration of the declared objects of 

 the British Association in your columns: at 

 any rate, I hesitate to enter on so large a 

 field without some indication of permission. 

 On the point you consider most vital, that 

 the Association should "insist on the ad- 

 vancement of science simply as knowledge, 

 and not merely as a means to practical 

 utilities," we are all fully agreed, as a glance 



