CIE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 



Friday, Septembee 27, 1907 



CONTENTS 

 The Universities of Australia and New Zea- 

 land : Pebsident David Staeb Jordan . . . 393 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 

 Section E — Geology and Geography : Dr. F. 

 P. Gulliver 397 



Scientific Books: — 



Bidgway on the Birds of North and Middle 

 America: Dr. J. A. Allen. Annals of the 

 Loicell Observatory : Ds. Herman S. Davis 404 



Societies and Academies: — 



Society for Experimental Biology and Medi- 

 cine: Professor William J. Gies 408 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



The Origin, of Sink-holes: Dr. E. H. Sel- 

 lards 417 



Special Articles:— 



The Magnetic Field due to an Electric Cur- 

 rent in a Straight Wire: Dr. W. J. Hum- 

 phreys. Reflex Protective Behavior in 

 Bufo varialilis: Peoeessob JIatnard M. 

 Metcalp 417 



Botamcal Notes: — 



The Origin of Angiosperms ; The Study of 

 Diatoms: Professor Charles E. Bessey 419 



Medals for Research in Tropical Medicine . . 421 



Scientific Notes and News 422 



University and Educational News 424 



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

 review should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, K Y. 



THE UNIVERSITIES OF AUSTRALIA AND 

 NEW ZEALAND^ 



AUSTRALIA 



I SHOULD not for a moment venture to 

 make suggestions to the authorities of the 

 university of which I am the guest were it 

 not that these authorities have made a 

 special request that I should give them an 

 outline of my impressions. Bach institu- 

 tion must work out its own destiny in 

 its own way and as directed by its own 

 environment. While each university must 

 profit by the experience of others, as the 

 universities of America have profited 

 enormously by the experience of the uni- 

 versities of Germany, no university can 

 use the methods of another unless these 

 methods spring naturally, from likeness in 

 conditions. 



My direct knowledge of the University 

 of Sydney is, as you know, slight. I have 

 met some of its professors at different times 

 and from these I have justly formed a 

 high estimate of the character of the in- 

 stitution and of its work. For the rest, I 

 have only the university Calendar and the 

 impressions formed in a week of cordial 

 hospitality. 



The most important matter in a univer- 

 sity is the character of its faculty. Next 

 comes the degree of completeness of its 



' In a course of lectures before the University 

 of Sydney, President Jordan was asked to give 

 a summary of his impression of the needs of the 

 University of Sydney. A similar request was 

 made at Wellington regarding the four colleges 

 which constitute the University of New Zealand. 



