Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 163 



logical changes and physiological processes involved, together 

 with the physico-chemical phenomena concerned in specificity 

 and activation are fully discussed, with reference to the more 

 recent publications on this important subject. w. R. c. 



III. Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 



1. Division of Geology and Geography of the National 

 Research Council. — This Division has been organized to render 

 service to investigators in these subjects. It proposes : 



1. To assist scattered individual workers to get in touch with 

 other workers in the same or allied fields and thus avoid 

 duplication and to coordinate investigations in the same 

 subject ; 



2. To cooperate in the promotion of promising lines of 

 research by securing coordination and participation of 

 workers in the same or allied lines; 



3. To bring promising projects of research to the attention 

 of those who may be willing to assist financially or other- 

 wise; and 



4. To stimulate research by the proposal of problems form- 

 ing parts of comprehensive schemes involving more than 

 one branch of scientific inquiry. 



To these ends it offers its facilities for bringing together infor- 

 mation regarding pending investigations or the personnel of 

 those interested in a given problem, and its judgment of the 

 value of proposed investigations in the light of what is being 

 done elsewhere^. The Division aims to act as an aid and clearing 

 house to eliminate lost motion and increase efficiency without 

 the assumption of direction or dictation of the methods or means 

 employed or a judgment of the ultimate results. While it is not 

 primarily an agency for financial support, it proposes to develop 

 or direct funds towards the assistance of worthy investigations 

 whenever this is possible. 



The preliminary circular letter, from which the above para- 

 graphs are quoted, is signed by Professor Edward B. Mathews 

 as Acting Chairman. The National Research Council was 

 organized on a peace basis in the early part of 1919 by Executive 

 order of the President of the United States. 



2. Recent publications of the Carnegie Institution of Wash- 

 ington (continued from vol. 47, p. 83) : 



No. 249, Part III. Displacement interferometry by the aid 

 of achromatic fringes ; by Carl Barus. Pp. 100, 74 figs, in text. 



No. 259. Naval Officers, their heredity and development; by 

 Charles B. Davenport, assisted by Mary T. Scudder. Pp. 

 236. — Sixty-eight selected naval officers furnish the data from 

 which the conclusions given are deduced. 



