May 17, 1912] 
various, and especially by its repeated, experi- 
ences. 
Then came Butler, and, without knowledge 
of Hering’s ideas, and out of a conviction that 
Darwin’s natural selection of fortuitous varia- 
tions was an absurd explanation of such fit 
things as instincts and hereditary repetitions, 
and that Lamarck’s explanation of modifica- 
tion of individuals by effort and intent, car- 
ried over into racial acquirements by heredity, 
was a much better one but needed something 
else to make it complete, he re-invented the 
conception of biological memory and worked 
it out to its logical extreme. Just what this 
extreme is, and what the details of Butler’s 
theory are, I leave to any of my readers inter- 
ested to find out from Butler’s books. For be- 
sides the interesting speculations of an intelli- 
gent and imaginative man about a subject that 
has, I am convinced, some real things in it to 
be found out some day, they will get from 
their perusal a gentle titillation of shock and 
amusement, such as the day’s duty ot “scien- 
tifie reading” rarely brings. 
Since Hering and Butler, have come, of 
course, Richard Semon with “Die Mneme ” 
and its new, and perhaps useful, terminology 
for the older ideas, and lastly the blessing of 
Sir Francis Darwin on the whole idea, as well 
as on Butler himself, bestowed in his British 
Association President’s address of 1908. But 
as it is Butler more than biological memory 
that this letter is meant to call attention to I 
may stop here. Butler died in 1902, and is 
only now coming to his hearing. 
Vernon L. KELLOGG 
Lonpon, 
February 24 
THE DEATH OF NETTIE MARIA STEVENS 
AT a meeting of the faculty of Bryn Mawr 
College, held May 6, 1912, it was voted to 
make the following record in the minutes: 
WHEREAS, the faculty of Bryn Mawr College 
has heard with sincere sorrow of the death of 
Nettie Maria Stevens, A.B. and A.M. of Leland 
Stanford Junior University, graduate scholar in 
biology in Bryn Mawr College 1900-01, president’s 
European fellow 1901-02, resident fellow in biol- 
SCIENCE 
771 
ogy 1902-03, doctor of philosophy of this college 
in 1903, sometime research fellow in biology, Car- 
negie research assistant and Alice Freeman Palmer 
research fellow, and since 1904 as reader and then 
as associate in experimental morphology, a mem- 
ber of the teaching staff and of the faculty, . 
Resolved, that we, the faculty of Bryn Mawr 
College, desire to record our appreciation of her 
talent for research, of the skill and assiduity with 
which she carried on difficult investigations, 
achieving a success that placed her in the very 
front rank of students of science and gave her a 
world-wide reputation among workers in biology. 
No less would we recognize the faithfulness with 
which as a member of the faculty she responded 
to every call for her services in teaching or in any 
general work of the college. We deplore her loss. 
We honor her memory. 
Resolved, that copies of these resolutions be sent 
to the relatives of Dr. Stevens, to the board of 
directors and to SCIENCE. 
SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 
At the suggestion of the German emperor, 
the Berlin Institute for Infectious Diseases 
will be named in honor of Robert Koch. 
THE faculty, students and alumni of the 
university of California will erect in the 
museum corridor of the new agricultural hall 
of the University of California a bronze bust 
in honor of Dr. Eugene W. Hilgard, emeritus 
professor of agriculture. 
ProFEssoR GRASSET, on the occasion of the 
thirtieth anniversary of his professorship of 
medicine at Montpelier, was presented with 
his bust and a medal. 
Puysictans of Philadelphia have been in- 
vited to join in honoring the memory of Dr. 
John Herr Musser by subscribing to the me- 
morial fund to be used to endow the social 
service department of the University Hospital, 
Philadelphia, of which he was the founder and 
president. The will of Dr. Musser provides 
that if the personal estate reaches $240,000, 
the sum of $15,000 shall be given to the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania for the endowment of 
a fellowship in honor of the late Dr. Robert 
M. Girvin. 
THE new medical laboratories for the two 
years’ course in medicine given at the Univer- 
