XXX 



THIRTEENTH AWAUD OF THE SOUTH AFllICA 

 MEDAL AND GRANT. 



{Fund raised by Meinhers of the Britisli Association in com- 

 viemoration of tlieir visit to South Africa in 1905.) 



After the conclusion of the Presidential Address in the 

 large hall of the Grand Hotel, Bulawayo, on Wednesday, 

 July 14, 1920, the President, Dr. I. B. Pole Evans, presented 

 the South Africa Medal, together with a grant of £50, to 

 Prof. Eknest Waehen, D.Sc, Director of the Natal Museum 

 and Head of the Department of Zoology in the Natal TTniversity 

 College, Pietermaritzburg. In making the presentation, the 

 President said:' — 



Dr. Warren was educated at University College, London, 

 where he studied from 1891 to 1894. He graduated first in 

 First Class Honours, qualifying for the Scholarship at the 

 London University B.Sc. examination in 1894. He was 

 appointed Demonstrator in Zoology at the College under the 

 late Professor W. F. R. Weldon. In 1898 he obtained the 

 degree of Doctor of Science at London University for a thesis 

 on the variability of the human skeleton. In 1899 lie became 

 Assistant Lecturer and Museum Curator at University College, 

 and in the same year was elected Fellow of the College. In 

 1903 he was appointed Director of the Natal Government 

 Museum, and in 1908 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal 

 Society of ^South Africa. He was appointed Professor of 

 Zoology in the Natal University College in~^1910. 



Dr. AVarren has especially worked on biometrics, Coelen- 

 terata and breeding. Some of his chief researches may be 

 briefly mentioned: — 



Dr. Warren undertook an extensive statistical investigation on the 

 variability and inter-relationships of the skeleton of an ancient 

 homogeneons human race from Naqada, Egypt, the remains of which 

 were excavated by Professor Flinders Petrie. The very numerons 

 measurements obtained were treated by the modern statistical methods 

 introduced by Professor Karl Pearson. It was demonstrated that the 

 dispersion of the variations about the mean could not be represented 

 by the normal curve of errors, but the theoretical curves which fitted 

 the observations were distinctly skew and had a limited range. The 

 variation in certain dimensions of the body of a population of a species 

 of crab was siinilarly treated. In order to determine the nature of the 

 variability and strength of inheritance in parthenogenetic generations, 

 breeding experiments were undertaken with Baphiiin and Ajihis. On 

 theoretical grounds. Weismann believed that the members of a 

 partlienogenetic family exhi1)ited little variability. It was conclusively 

 shown, however, that very considerable variation occurred and the 

 strength of inlieritance between the parthenogenetic mother and 

 offspring Avas practically the same as in sexual reproduction. 



During the last few years, Dr. "Warren undertook certain breeding 

 experiments with nasturtiums and foxgloves. The experiments indicate 

 that Mendelian factors must not be regarded as fixed inimutable units, 

 but that they are variable in nature and can be transmitted as such to 

 the next generation. 



An investigation on the nature of the horny teeth of lampreys and 

 hagfishes showed that these structures are not to be regarded as 



