Makch 6, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



399 



the vicinity of water courses and the shelter 

 of moist plants, and its larvae perish rapidly 

 if exposed for a few hours to the rays of a 

 tropical sun, even when covered by a thin 

 layer of dry earth. This shows that the Tsetse 

 may be destroyed by cutting down the coverts 

 in which it lays its eggs. 



According to a law passed by the Danish 

 Eigsdag, the use of the metric system is made 

 compulsory for all government purposes not 

 later than May 4, 1910, the date of adoption 

 prior to the limiting date to be fixed by the 

 king; and two years after this adoption the 

 system is made compulsory throughout the 

 kingdom. 



It is reported that three heavier than air- 

 flying machines, capable of carrying two per- 

 sons, remaining an hour in the air and travel- 

 ing at least thirty-six miles an hour, have been 

 contracted for by the United States govern- 

 ment. They are to be built by Mr. A. M. 

 Herring, of New York; the Wright Brothers, 

 of Dayton, O., and J. F. Scott, of Chicago. 



Professor A. W. Geabau, chairman, and 

 Dr. Charles P. Berkey, secretary of the Sec- 

 tion of Geology and Geography of the New 

 York Academy of Sciences, have sent out the 

 following notice : " Almost every one appre- 

 ciates the advantages of general meetings for 

 those interested in similar lines of work or 

 investigation. For geology and mineralogy, 

 the Geological Society of America and Section 

 E of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science are accomplishing much 

 in this direction. For various reasons, how- 

 ever, it frequently happens that large sections 

 of the country are poorly represented at the 

 yearly meetings, and the men of those sections 

 are deprived of such advantages for a consid- 

 erable time. It is also true that, in the larger 

 meetings, the programs are crowded, and there- 

 fore opportunities for extended discussions are 

 wanting, and the consideration of local or sec- 

 tional matters are overshadowed or even forced 

 out entirely by matters of general interest. It 

 would seem that somewhat informal district 

 or sectional meetings might be inaugurated 

 that would meet these conditions. Field trips, 

 such as are arranged occasionally by the geol- 

 ogists of New England, are a partial equi- 



valent, but there is still too little attempted. 

 It is the belief of the members of the Section 

 of Geology and Mineralogy of the New York 

 Academy of Sciences that it would be ad- 

 visable each year to hold at least two meetings 

 of the geologists and mineralogists of the 

 northeastern section of the United States for 

 the presentation of papers and the cultivation 

 of a closer personal acquaintance. It is not 

 proposed to encourage the formation of any 

 new organization. It seems preferable to en- 

 list the cooperation of the geological depart- 

 ments of colleges and sections of geology and 

 mineralogy in academies of science, surveys 

 and museums, and to depend upon such local 

 units for chief support and guidance. Fur- 

 thermore, it seems particularly desirable that 

 meetings should be held successively at the 

 different centers of greater activity, so far as 

 they may be also points of easy access; such, 

 for example, as New York, Boston, New 

 Haven, Philadelphia. In accord with these 

 suggestions, believing that they will meet with 

 general approval, the Section of Geology and 

 Mineralogy of the New York Academy of Sci- 

 ences will arrange for such joint meeting- to 

 occupy one or more days early in April. We 

 cordially invite you to attend, and we urge you 

 to forward to the secretary of our section the 

 titles of papers that you wish to present. A 

 program will be printed as soon as these titles 

 can be secured, and this, together with other 

 items of information, will be mailed in ad- 

 vance of the meeting. The date will be the 

 sixth of April." 



An engineer has been despatched to Africa 

 to arrange for the construction of a large dam 

 in the southern part of the German protected 

 territory in Southwest Africa. By this means 

 a reservoir would be created capable of hold- 

 ing about 44,000 million gallons of water. 

 This supply, located about twenty-five miles 

 from Keetmanshoop, would be utilized for the 

 irrigation of the fertile plains below, which 

 are at present incapable of cultivation owing 

 to want of water. Mr. Schmick, the engineer 

 selected for this purpose by Mr. Secretary 

 Dernburg, will likewise visit East Africa, and 

 will survey the courses of several of the rivers 

 in order to ascertain whether they are capable 



