298 



NATURE 



[January 27, 1898 



that recommended by the Commission. I should like, however, 

 to receive an expression of opinion that notwithstanding the 

 progress made towards unanimity in this matter, the course 

 recommended by the Commission — the appointment of a 

 statutory commission to frame the future statutes and to re- 

 constitute the University — is the only one to insure the scheme 

 from further delay and perhaps ultimate failure. 



Sir H. Roscoe said that the matter had not been formally 

 brought before the Senate, but he should be expressing the view 

 of his colleagues if he said that the question whether this re- 

 organisation was to take place by charter, or, under the re- 

 commendation of the Cowper Commission, by a statutory com- 

 mission had engaged their attention for many years, and that 

 they had come to the conclusion that in consequence of the 

 complexity of the question the difficulty of drawing up in black 

 and white any statement in the form of a charter would be ex- 

 tremely great. The suggestion that the Senate might act under 

 powers as a statutory commission had not been brought before 

 them, and he could say nothing about it. But as between 

 a new charter and a statutory commission the consensus of 

 opinion was in favour of the commission rather than the charter. 



Mr. Anstey, as a long-standing member of the Senate and a 

 member of the Cowper Commission, thought that a statutory 

 ■commission was absolutely essential. The matter had never been 

 presented to the Senate, but the difficulties were insuperable in 

 dealing with the details. 



The Duke of Devonshire : The suggestion which may still 

 probably be made is that legislation has become unnecesary 

 when the approach to unanimity is so nearly complete that 

 everything which is required might be done by charter on the 

 motion of the Senate and not under statutory powers. London 

 University under its existing charter possesses powers to alter its 

 statutes and regulations subject to the approval of Convocation, 

 and the suggestion which I understand might be made was that 

 that course might be adopted with a reasonable prospect of suc- 

 cess. I understand, however, that Mr. Anstey has expressed 

 the unanimous, or almost unanimous, opinion of those present 

 that that is not the case, and that nothing short of a body armed 

 with statutory powers, such as the proposed commission, would 

 ibe sufficient. 



Sir Joshua Fitch said the question had been amply discussed 

 by the Royal Commission, and their deliverances were unanimous 

 and unanswerable. The difficulty of submitting such a charter 

 to a scattered body like Convocation was too sgrious for the 

 attempt to be practicable. 



Mr. Anstey explained that the unanimity was only on the point 

 that there should be a statutory commission. 



After thanking the Duke of Devonshire for his reception of 

 ■the deputation, the members of it withdrew. 



THE FORTHCOMING INTERNATIONAL 

 CONGRESS OF ZOOLOGY. 



"PNGLISH zoologists ought to learn with satisfaction 

 -L-' that the International Congress, which has already met 

 in France, Russia, and Holland, will meet in this country 

 next August. The first Congress took place in Paris 

 at the time of the International Exhibition in 1889. For 

 some reason — perhaps the cholera — the second meeting, 

 held in Moscow in 1892, was not largely attended. The 

 third meeting at Leyden, in 1895, was attended by 173 

 zoologists with their wives and other members of their 

 families. 



It is to be hoped and expected that the meeting at 

 Cambridge will be still more largely attended, and there 

 is every reason to hope that the German element, which 

 has not been conspicuous at previous meetings, will be 

 better represented in this country. 



We have already stated that, unfortunately, owing to 

 the condition of his health and his numerous and arduous 

 official duties, Sir William Flower, K.C.B., F.R.S., who 

 was naturally elected President for the fourth Congress at 

 the meeting in Leyden, has felt constrained to resign his 

 post. To the general satisfaction of zoologists the Right 

 Hon. Sir John Lubbock, Bart., F.R.S., was appointed in 

 his place. At Cambridge a strong Committee has been 

 formed, which is now actively engaged making the 



NO. 1474, VOL. 57] 



necessary preparations for the coming together of zoo- 

 logists, and for their suitable reception and entertain- 

 ment. 



It may be mentioned by the way that August 23 and 

 the town of Cambridge are the date and place of meet- 

 ing, not only of zoologists, but also of physiologists, who 

 intend to hold a Congress in the same week. 



The Executive Committee of the Congress, selected 

 from the General Committee, has somewhat varied the 

 mode of invitation which obtained at previous Congresses. 

 The invitation to the Congress is signed solely by English 

 zoologists, and, on the whole, the list may be said to be 

 a representative one, although it is to be regretted that 

 Mr. A. R. Wallace and Prof. AUman have felt the weight 

 of years too heavy to justify them in taking any part in 

 this Congress. Our fellow zoologists in the Colonies 

 and India have been invited to join the General Com- 

 mittee, and steps are being taken to invite the Indian 

 and Colonial Governments to send delegates to the Con- 

 gress. The more eminent foreign zoologists have been 

 invited to form the Committee of Patronage which is 

 always established at these Congresses, and we are glad 

 to hear that already more than sixty have agreed to 

 become members of this Committee, and a number 

 have declared their intention of being present at the 

 meeting if they possibly can. Among these may be men- 

 tioned Prof.'Milne-Edwards (of Paris), Prof. Hubrecht (of 

 Utrecht), and Prof. Kowalevsky (of St. Petersburg). 



Visitors to earlier Congresses always brought away an 

 account of generous hospitality, and there can be no 

 doubt that our foreign friends will be charmed at meeting 

 in a place so strange and interesting to them as an 

 English University town. If English zoologists are to 

 keep up the high standard of previous Congresses, from 

 the point of view of hospitality, it will be necessary for 

 them to contribute handsomely to the funds of the Con- 

 gress. It may be mentioned that Mr. P. L. Sclater, 

 F.R.S., and Prof. Hickson, F.R.S,are the Treasurers 

 for this meeting. 



The Zoological Society has placed its house at the dis- 

 posal of the Executive Committee, and all letters to the 

 Treasurers or the Secretaries should be addressed to 

 them at No. 3 Hanover Square. 



We are requested by the Secretaries to say that they 

 have taken every means in their power to send in- 

 vitations and notices to all zoologists whom they have 

 been able to reach ; but Secretaries are not infallible, and 

 the Post Office itself has been known to fail in its duties 

 before now. Any zoologist therefore, whether foreign or 

 English, who has not yet received notices with regard to 

 the Congress, should put himself into communication 

 with the Secretaries at the above address. 



MODERN VIEWS OF THE RAINBOWS 



DESCARTES'S theory of the rainbow, which is still 

 found in all optical text-books, is hardly even a 

 rough approximation to the true theory. It does not 

 fully explain the ordinary bows, and fails entirely as 

 regards the " spurious bows," improperly so called. Any 

 close observer will, under favourable conditions, notice 

 certain colours on the inside edge of the primary bow 

 which are not consistent with the simple series of 

 spectrum colours demanded by the venerable theory 

 which may be said to mark the birth of modern science. 

 These additional colours, chiefly red and green, recall 

 the colours seen in Newton's rings at some distance from 

 the centre, and at once suggest a similar origin. In a 

 paper on " the intensity of light in the neighbourhood of 

 a caustic" {Trans. Canib. Phil. Soc, 6, 1838, and 8, 1848), 

 Airy has laid the foundation of an adequate theory of 

 the rainbow which is gradually being worked out. With 



1 See a paper by J. M. Pernter, IVien. Ber., io6, Part 2, a, 1897, and 

 Abstracts of the Physical Society, No. 86. 



