Vol. 6, 1920 GEOPHYSICS: H. S. WASHINGTON 585 
Another great desideratum is the keeping of a systematic record of all 
known volcanic events, eruptions, indications of renewed activity, and so 
on. This should be as complete as possible, and might be compiled by 
another, or the same, special committee, possibly with the assistance of 
some news-clipping bureau and correspondents at various volcanoes. In 
such a record, and in all other official volcanological literature, the sensa- 
tional features should have a minimum of stress laid upon them. 
If possible, some systematic investigation of the little known volcanoes 
and volcanic regions should be undertaken. This applies especially to 
those of the islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and Daly, in an 
important paper, has called attention to the paucity of our knowledge as 
to the first of these. It is possible that such an investigation may be 
started by the coming Pan-Pacific Congress at Honolulu, at which the 
scheme will probably be proposed. For this purpose the assistance and 
cooperation of intelligent persons living in, or trading among, the various 
islands may be obtained, as well as, possibly, that of some private expe- 
ditions. Even the collection of chance specimens from the little-known 
islands would be of great value. 
In this connection it may be suggested that the early history of our own 
western volcanoes should be investigated, as by search through the records 
of the early explorers and settlers, for possible mention of volcanic ac- 
tivity, and the verification or disproof of some such reported occurrences. 
The lavas of these volcanoes are well known, but the character of their 
volcanic activity has been much neglected. 
Apart from the purely scientific question as to how and why a volcano 
"works," is the practical, and scientifically equally interesting, one of the 
prediction of eruptions. Unfortunately, with two or three exceptions, we 
know of volcanic activity almost entirely as displayed only during erup- 
tions, and especially major ones. It is much like studying a complicated 
machine only when it is working at full speed; we can understand better 
the relations of the parts and their working if the machine is examined 
when the parts are moving slowly or are at rest. 
For the prediction of eruptions, and for the solution of many other 
volcanological problems, prolonged, continuous, and systematic observa- 
tions on volcanoes are absolutely necessary, not only during eruptions, 
but during the quiet intervals that precede and follow eruptions. Such 
observations have been carried on at Vesuvius, at first by Mercalli from 
1892 to 1906, and by Malladra from about 1912 to the present time. 
Similar observations have also been carried on for nearly ten years at 
Kilauea by Jaggar, at times with the assistance of Perret, and Wood. 
It is hoped that the very detailed observations of Malladra will soon be 
published; they will form an invaluable contribution to volcanology. The 
records of the Kilauea observing, kept by Jaggar since 1 9 1 1 , are especially 
full and detailed and constitute what would be, if published, one of the 
