PRIZES FOR BEST MEMOIRS

The Boston Society of Natural History offers annually through the provisions of the will of the late William Johnson Walker, two prizes for the best memoirs written in English on the subject proposed by a committee of the Society. For the best memoir presented a prize of $60 will be awarded; if, however, the memoir is one of marked merit, the amount may be increased to $100 at the discretion of the committee. The writer of the next best paper will be awarded a prize not exceeding $50. Prizes will not be awarded, however, unless the memoirs presented are of adequate merit.

The competition for these prizes is open to all. It is nevertheless the tradition of the Society that the founder of these prizes intended them to be more in the nature of encouragement to young men in the field than as rewards for the work of more mature investigators.

The topic for 1917 and 1918 is: "Any Subject in the Field of Natural History."

In competing for the prizes the following points must be observed:

(1) In all cases the memoirs are to be based on a considerable body of original and unpublished work, accompanied by a general review of the literature of the subject.

(2) Anything in the memoir which shall furnish proof of the identity of the author shall be considered as debarring the essay from the competition.

(3) Although the awards will be based on their intrinsic merits, preference may be given to memoirs bearing evidence of having been prepared with special reference to the competition for the prizes.

(4) Each memoir must be accompanied by a sealed envelope enclosing the author's name and superscribed with a motto corresponding to one borne by the manuscripts, and must be in the hands of the secretary on or before March 1.

(5) The Society, furthermore, assumes no responsibility for publication of manuscripts submitted, and publication should not be made before the annual meeting of the Society in May.