134 



NATURE 



[September 23, 1920 



•does not seem to be the case. If the rate of improve- 

 ment in adaptation (" adaptative evolution ") depends 

 upon the rate of mutation and the severity of elimina- 

 tion, it also should be proportional to the rate of 

 reproduction; but the finely adapted birds and 

 mammals have a relatively low rate of reproduction. 

 If the rate of "progressive evolution" depends upon 

 the rate of mutation and the severity of selection, it 

 again should be proportional to the rate of reproduction ; 

 but the most complex and most highly differentiated of 

 all animals have the lowest rate of reproduction. In 

 face of the difficulty of accounting for the differences 

 in the rate of evolution, Prof. Conklin doubts whether 

 current theories as to the causes of evolution are 

 wholly satisfactory. It may be doubted, however, 

 whether we are able to state the problems of diversity 

 of rate with sufficient precision to allow of their being 

 used as tests of the validity of the aetiological formulae in 

 the field. It is likelv enough that there are factors of 

 organic evolution still to be discovered, but we do not 

 think that Prof. Conklin exhausts the potency of those 

 that are alreadv known. Thus, after writing : " It seems 

 highly probable that the rate of mutation is influenced 

 bv environmental conditions, as Plough has shown in 

 the case of the pomace-fly, and it is probable that 

 environment has played a large part in the rate of 

 evolution," he adds : "On the other hand, the evidences 

 against the inheritance of the effects of use and dis- 

 use are so strong that one hesitates to invoke their 

 aid." We submit, however, that the r6\e of a 

 changeful environment in affording mutational 

 stimulus has very little to do with its r6\c in imprint- 

 ing modifications. We agree, all the sarne, with Prof. 

 Conklin that there is no reason for supoosing that 

 the formulation of the factors in evolution is approach- 

 ing exhaustiveness. /Etiology is still a young science. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



The Air Ministry announces that Dr. O. S. Sinnatt, 

 lecturer in mechanical engineering at King's College, 

 University of London, has been appointed professor 

 of aeronautical science at the R.-'X.F. Cadet College, 

 Cranwell. 



We learn from Science for August 27 that the family 

 of the late Sir John Darling, of .'\delaide, South .Aus- 

 tralia, has contributed the sum of 15,000!. towards 

 the cost of erecting a new building for the medical 

 school of the University of .-Vdelaide. This building 

 will be designed to accommodate the departments of 

 physiologv, biochemistry, and histology, and the 

 medical library. The building will be erected and 

 equipped at a cost of 25,000!. 



A FULL account of the courses of instruction in the 

 various departments of Bradford Technical College 

 will be found in the calendar which has just been 

 issued. Full-time day courses in technical sciences 

 are provided which extend over three or four years ; 

 they lead to the college diploma. Part-time courses, 

 mainly evening work, are also given. The latter are 

 intended to meet the needs of those who are engaged 

 in industry during the greater part of their time. 

 Special facilities are also given to students who may 

 wish to undertake advanced study or research work. 

 The college is well provided with laboratories, among 

 which may be mentioned the engineering and testing 

 shops, a complete plant for the production of textiles, 

 and a power-house which has been arranged for 

 demonstration purposes. 



The calendar of Birkbeck College has been issued, 

 and contains useful information for students intending 

 to take degrees at London University. The courses 

 provided by the college are set out in detail ; they 



NO. 2656, VOL. 106] 



consist of day and evening courses in the faculties 

 of arts and science, and evening courses in the facul- 

 ties of laws and economics. Facilities are also pro- 

 vided for post-graduate and research work. During 

 the autumn and spring terms special courses of lec- 

 tures on the history of London will be given, and 

 there will also be four lectures, commencing Octo- 

 ber II, on "The Thomson Effect" by Mr. H. R. 

 Nettleton for the physics side. Particulars of univer- 

 sity and other courses can be obtained from the office 

 of the college or by letter to the secretary. 



The calendar of the London School of Economics 

 and Political Science has been issued, and contains a 

 detailed syllabus of all the courses available for 

 students. Classes are open to those who intend 

 to proceed to degrees in economics and commerce, 

 and also to such as wish to pursue specialised or 

 advanced studv on topics on which they may be 

 engaged. .•Ml the courses necessary for the degrees 

 of B.Sc.{Econ.) and B.Com. Sre given at hours 

 which make it possible for both day and evening 

 students to take them. The school provides courses 

 for a number of university diplomas and school 

 certificates ; among these are the university diploma 

 for journalism, the academic diploma in sociology 

 and social science and the certificate in social science, 

 the academic diploma in geography, and the com- 

 mercial and geography certificates granted by the 

 School itself. Facilities are also provided for students 

 desirous of proceeding to the degrees of Master and 

 Doctor of Science, Philosophy, Laws, and Literature. 



In the calendar of the Merchant Venturers' Technical 

 College, Bristol, attention may be directed to some 

 novel features which are mentioned. The first is the 

 Bristol "sandwich" scheme of training for engineers. 

 This course takes five years to complete, about half of 

 which are spent in a works and the other half in the 

 university. A number of engineering firms co-operate 

 with the college for this instruction, and others have 

 expressed their willingness to accept students who 

 have completed the course, in som.e cases at reduced 

 premiums. Another feature of the college is a two 

 years' course for apprentices. The curriculum extends 

 over two vears, and the classes take up one day each 

 week. Students who pass the two examinations given 

 w-ill receive the Engineer Apprentice's Testamur. A 

 series of popular lectures will also be given during the 

 autumn and spring, two of which should be of 

 scientific interest, namelv, "Lightning and Thunder," 

 bv Prof. J. T. Macgregor-Morris, and "Devices 

 which Won the War," bv Mr. J. R. Raphael. 



Societies and Academies. 



P.ARIS. 



Academy of Sciences, August 23. — M. Henri Deslandres 

 in the chair. — A. Lacroix : The existence in Mada- 

 gascar of a silicate of scandium and yttrium, thort- 

 veitite. This mineral, the richest known in scandium, 

 was discovered in iqii by J. Schetelig in Norway, 

 and since that time has not been found in any other 

 locality. Amongst specimens collected from the peg- 

 matite of Befanamo, Madagascar, was one which 

 agreed in its phvsical properties with the mineral 

 described by Schetelig. The presence of scandium, 

 ytterbium, and neoytterbium was confirmed by the 

 spectrograph, and there were also indications of zir- 

 conium, aluminium, and titanium. In view of the 

 importance of obtaining a sufficient supply of scandium 

 for a more complete study of this element, other 

 minerals from this region have been examined spectro- 

 scopically, and scandium has been detected in cymo- 



