352 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 13. 



" The city of Montreal, which has a population of 

 about 150,000 souls, has twice entertained the Ameri- 

 can association for the advancement of science, ■ — for 

 the second time, in August, 1882, when an attendance 

 of more than nine hundred members and 'associates 

 was registered, — and the association, with its nine 

 sections, found ample accomhiodation in the build- 

 ings of McGill university. . . . We have assurance that 

 the government of the Dominion of Canada will make 

 a liberal grant of money to defray the expenses of 

 members of the British association in crossing the 

 ocean, and that the various railroad and steamboat 

 lines in Canada and in the United States will offer 

 most liberal arrangements to our guests. The Grand 

 Trunk railway will arrange for an excursion of mem- 

 bers of the association to the Great Lakes and Chicago ; 

 while the Canadian Pacific railroad will give an ex- 

 cursion to the provinces of the north-west, as far as 

 the Roclfy Mountains. The city of Montreal, from 

 its climate, its geographical position, and its ways of 

 communication, offers many attractions alike to the 

 traveller and the student. The large and important 

 collections of the geological survey of Canada, gath- 

 ered during the past forty years, are in the museum 

 at Ottawa; and these, together with extensive collec- 

 tions contained in the museum of tlie Natural history 

 society of Montreal, and in that of McGill university, 

 furnish ample materials for the study of the natural 

 history of Canada. . . . 



' " Members of the British association, in coming to- 

 Canada, may be assured of a most cordial welcome 

 and generous hospitality, not only from the citizens 

 of Montreal, where every facility will be furnished 

 for their meeting, but from the people throughout 

 the country. It is hoped by the invitation commit- 

 tee that these assurances, and the above statement 

 of the advantages and facilities offered them, may 

 secure a large attendance of the members of the Brit- 

 ish association at Montreal in 1884." 



It is well known that considerable opposition 

 has existed in England to the project of meet- 

 ing in Montreal ; and it is natural that manj' 

 of the life-members and associates vrho can- 

 not visit Canada should view it with disfavor : 

 but it is believed that the leading members of 

 the association are of a different opinion, and 

 that the heartj' action of the city of Montreal 

 and the dominion government will do much to 

 disarm such opposition as ma}' manifest itself 

 next summer at Southport, where the final de- 

 cision must be made. 



It is to be observed, that in the present j'ear 

 the meeting of the American association, at 

 Minneapolis, is early (Aug. 17) ; while that 

 of the British association, at Southport, which 

 is, besides, in the immediate vicinitj- of Liver- 

 pool, is unusually late (Sept. 19). This will 

 allow members of the American association to 

 attend both meetings ; and it is stated that 

 the retiring president of the American associa- 

 tion, and possibly others of its members, maj' 



avail themselves of this privilege. This maj' 

 possibly permit arrangements to be made which 

 might substantiallj' unite the meetings of the 

 two associations in 1884, and so prepare for 

 an international meeting in the future. If the 

 meeting of the American association for 1884 

 can be fixed for some north-eastern city, suf- 

 ficientlj' near to Montreal, and can be timed 

 so as to occur a week before or after that of 

 the British association, there can be no doubt 

 that a great number of the members of the 

 latter bodj^ would take advantage of the op- 

 portunity' to enjoy the companionship of their 

 American confrhres; while, on the other hand, 

 manj' of these would gladly spend a few days 

 at the meeting of the British association. In 

 this waj' it would seem that a greater benefit 

 to science might result than even from an inter- 

 national meeting. There would be time for 

 the complete transaction of the business of 

 both associations. Neither would suffer, either 

 pecuniarily or in the value of its proceedings ; 

 and there would be the best possible oppor- 

 tunity' for interchange of ideas between the 

 scientific men of the United States, Great 

 Britain, and Canada. Nor is it unlikelj' that 

 some scientific workers from the continent of 

 Europe and elsewhere may be attracted by a 

 combination so unusual. It may thirs be hoped 

 that the proposed meeting of the British asso- 

 ciation in Canada may not only be one of the 

 most successful that this mother of associa- 

 tions has held, but may inaugurate an epoch 

 of renewed activity' and progress in the widelj'- 

 spread scientific work of the two great associa- 

 tions of the English-speaking race. 



MODEL OF THE GIANT OCTOPUS OF 

 THE WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 

 Wi-irLE working on the models of the large 

 Newfoundland squid (Architeuthis princeps) 

 for the Yale and Harvard museums, it was 

 proposed that I should also model the large 

 Octopus of the west coast of America. Noth- 

 ing was done upon it, however, until the past 

 winter, while preparations were making by 

 the U. S. fish-commission for the International 

 fishery exhibition in London. For this exhi- 

 bition, Mr. William Palmer, one of the model- 

 lers of the National museum in Washington, 



