SCIENCE 



Friday, July 15, 1921 



CONTENTS 



The Besponsihility of the Biologist in the Mat- 

 ter of Preserving Naiural Conditions : Dr. 

 F. B. Sumner 39 



The National Geographic Society completes 

 its Gifts of Big Trees 43 



Meeting of the Executive Committee of Sigma 

 Xi: Professor Henry B. Ward 45 



The BerTceley Meeting of the Pacific Division 

 of the Americ^in Association- for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science 45 



Scientific Events: — - 

 John Harper Long ; The Scliool of Engineer- 

 ing of Princeton University ; The SocTce fel- 

 ler Institute for Medical Research 48 



Scientific Notes and News ; 50 



University aiid Education-al News 52 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 

 An Analogy between the Theories of Natural 

 Selection and Electrolysis : Professor Carl 

 Barus. National Temperament in Scien- 

 tific Investigations: Dr. J. W. Clawson, 

 Professor E. D. Carmichael 53 



Special Articles: — 



Ths Prediction of the Physiological Action 



of Alcohols: Dr. Oliver Kaum 55 



The American Chemical Society: Dr. Charles 

 L. Parsons 56 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for 

 review should be sent to The Editor of Science, Garriaon-ou- 

 Hudaon, N. Y. 



THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BIOLO- 

 GIST IN THE MATTER OF PRE- 

 SERVING NATURAL CON- 

 DITIONS 



The writer has accepted a joint chairman- 

 ship of the Committee on the Presei'vation of 

 N'atural Conditions of the Ecolog-ical Society 

 of America. The special task undertaken by 

 him is to interest some of our leading scien- 

 tific organizations and institutions in a pro- 

 posed affiliation for the purpose of making " a 

 more serious effort to rescue a few fragments 

 of vanishing nature." 



I am only too painfully aware of the fact 

 that this task might have been undertaken 

 by others with much more promise of success. 

 There are many in the ranks of American 

 biologists whose scientific prestige and admin- 

 istrative ability would carry far greater weight 

 than mine. There are many who could — if 

 they would — undertake this plain duty with- 

 out risk to their health and without serious 

 curtailment of their output in the field of 

 research. It is my hope that more of our 

 leaders in science will be aroused to the 

 necessity of becoming also leaders in the con- 

 servation movement. I for one will welcome 

 the day when this leadership will pass into 

 their hands. In the meantime, I shall be 

 glad, if only in a slight degi-ee, to play the 

 role of an enzyme or catalyzer, which may 

 provoke effective energy ti'ansformations in 

 others. 



That both our native fauna and flora and 

 our natural scenery are disappearing at an 

 appalling rate is obvious to all, except those 

 whose interests and outlook are bounded by 

 the walls of their laboratories. Despite the 

 indignant denials of some, I am afraid that 

 this last type of individual is not wholly 

 mythical. But the great bulk of the apathy 

 with which we have to contend is doubtless 

 due to another cause. This is a spirit of 



