478 Scientific Intelligence. 



artificial barriers by which some teachers have endeavored to 

 separate the life of animals from that of plants are entirely 

 lacking in this book, which rightly seeks to give the reader a 

 broad appreciation of the unity of vital phenomena, and thus 

 enable him to understand the real meaning of evolution. Not 

 only is the general conception of the book sound, but the treat- 

 ment of the various topics is clear and concise. The breadth of 

 treatment and inclusiveness of the subject are indicated by the 

 titles of the parts into which the book is divided : I, The World 

 in which we Live ; II, Life Processes of the Organism ; III, The 

 Continuity of Life ; IV, Organisms in their external Relations ; 

 V, Heredity and Evolution; VI, Man and other organisms. 



The illustrations likewise deserve high praise ; they are largely 

 original, well executed, and, what is more important, convey 

 the information desired. In a few cases, as in fig. 250, the dia- 

 grams do not conform to the actual conditions, and in the text 

 also generalizations are sometimes carried slightly further than 

 the facts warrant. But these are minor deficiencies in a book 

 of unusual excellence. w. r. c. 



III. Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 



1. National Academy of Sciences. — The autumn meeting of 

 the National Academy was held in New Haven on November 10 

 and 11 ; Dr. Charles D. "Walcott, the President, presided. 

 About fifty members were in attendance and the list of papers 

 was long and included a number of particular interest. At the 

 dinner, held on Tuesday evening, the Elliott medal, established 

 in 1916 by a bequest of $10,000 from Margaret Henderson 

 Elliott, was awarded to William Beebe of the American Museum 

 of Natural History for his work, extending over seven years, on 

 the pheasants of the far East. It was also voted to award a 

 medal to Herbert C. Hoover, at the coming April meeting in 

 Washington, for his distinguished service in the "application 

 of science to the public welfare" in food distribution. 



Obituary. 



Professor J. W. H. Trail, who has held the Regius chair of 

 botany in the University of Aberdeen for forty-two years, died 

 on September 18 at the age of sixty-eight years. 



Dr. Cyril G. Hopkins, head of the department of agronomy 

 in the University of Illinois, died on October 6 at the age of 

 fifty-three years. His death occurred at Gibraltar after a 

 brief illness, when on his way home after a year's study of the 

 exhausted soils of Greece. 



Dr. Charles Henry Hitchcock, the geologist, died on 

 November 6 at Honolulu. He was the son of Edward Hitch- 

 cock, a notable figure in the early development of geology in 

 this country, and was himself professor in Dartmouth College 

 from 1868 to 1908 ; he made many contributions to the geology 

 of northern New England. 



