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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1322 



writer and as a scientific investigator can 

 hardly be too highly esteemed and his loss to 

 all branches of his profession is most keenly 

 felt. His text-book on " Mineralogy, Crystal- 

 lography and Blowpipe Analysis " will for 

 many years remain the standard in a large ma- 

 jority of the universities in which courses in 

 these subjects are given. His work on " The 

 Characters of Crystals," published in 1899, is 

 the first treatise published in America upon 

 physical crystallography, a branch of crystal- 

 lography which was early recognized by him as 

 of primary importance to chemists, geologists 

 and mineralogists and which has within very 

 recent years assumed a scope, and developed 

 practical applications which have more than 

 justified his early visions of its future. 



The research work of Professor Moses was 

 marked by a conservative distaste for an- 

 nouncing a result until he had thoroughly 

 verified it. This admirable tendency was also 

 evidenced in the terseness and finished qual- 

 ity of his statements of fact, whether written 

 or spoken. He was seldom under the necessity 

 of erasing a word from his lecture notes or 

 modifying a statement made to any one con- 

 sulting him, whether student or scientist. 



His personal dealings were marked by a 

 large sympathy coupled with a modesty which 

 was almost shrinking in its avoidance of the 

 prominence which was by reason of 'his attain- 

 ments thrust upon him. Yet his vision and en- 

 thusiasm for his science was such as to inspire 

 those who worked in close touch with him, and 

 who will long treasure his memory as a master 

 in science, as a man of large ideas and high 

 attainments and as a sympathetic and valued 

 friend. 



H. P. \V. 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 



INVESTIGATIONS IN POLYNESIA 



Two problems of outstanding importance 

 in the study of native races are the Origin 

 and Migration of the American Indian, and 

 the Origin and Migration of the Polynesian 

 race. A study of the first problem has been 

 made possible by the gifts of Morris K. Jessup 

 to the American Museum of ISTatural History, 



as a result of which ethnologists, botanists and 

 zoologists are tracing the American tribes 

 back through British Columbia and Alaska to 

 Siberia and the regions beyond. 

 I The Polynesian problem is in some respects 

 more difB.cult than ithe Indian problem be- 

 cause it involves the collection of scattered 

 data from hundreds of islands, some of them 

 no longer inhabited, and the separation of 

 racial traits and interlocked customs and lan- 

 guages of Polynesian, Melanesian., and Micro- 

 nesian peoples. It probably can be solved by 

 carefully organized investigation in widely 

 separated areas over a period of years. 



It is an undertaking which if adequately 

 supported involves the expenditure of about 

 $50,000 a year for a period of four or five 

 years. But the problem of a vanishing race 

 is so urgent that even a one-year study is 

 likely to yield large return. 



It is generally recognized that the institu- 

 tion best suited to carry on the Polynesian 

 work is the Bishop Museum, of Honolulu, 

 founded and endowed for studies in Poly- 

 nesian, ethnology and natural history. "With 

 this in mind, funds suflBcient for one year's 

 work, contributed to Yale University by 

 Bayard Dominick, of Kew York City, have 

 been placed at the disposal of the trustees of 

 the museum. Investigations resulting from 

 the use of these funds will be credited to the 

 " Bayard Dominick Expedition." In the hope 

 that further funds will be contributed for this 

 work, the director has formulated a program 

 for two years' study which in outline is as 

 follows : 



A. 1920-21: Parties consisting of an ethnol- 

 ogist, an archeologist, a botanist, with nec- 

 essary interpreters and assistants to be sta- 

 tioned at what might be termed strategic 

 points to make studies essential in establish- 

 ing standards of physical form, material cul- 

 ture, traditions and language of the Poly- 

 nesians. This is essential as a basis for the 

 determination of the significance of changes 

 brought about by the overlapping with other 

 races. For this work the existing means of 

 transportation combined with the use of local 

 small boats is fairly satisfactory. The areas 



