6io 



NA TURE 



[October 20, i: 



become completely plugged up by a growth of cellular tissue. The 

 embryos obtained have been classified in sixteen stages. The 

 early stages of development are singularly like the corresponding 

 stages in the Chelonia, especially as regards the fretal mem- 

 branes ; there being a long canal behind the embryo leading 

 to the exterior, and known as the posterior amniotic canal, 

 which has hitherto been found only in Chelonians, in which 

 it was discovered a few years ago by Prof. Mitsukuri, of 

 Tokyo. Prof. Dendy's results thus strongly confirm the 

 views of those naturalists who regard the Tuatara as being at 

 least as closely related to the turtles as it is to the lizards. 

 In the later stages of the development the young animal has a 

 strongly developed pattern of longitudinal and transverse 

 stripes, which disappear before hatching, the adult animal being 

 usually spotted. This observation is a striking confirmation of 

 the general laws of coloration observed in young birds and 

 mammals, which are commonly striped. The eggs which Prof. 

 Dendy investigated were collected for him by Mr. P. Henaghan, 

 principal keeper on Stephen's Island, who showed indefatigable 

 zeal in the pursuit, and made many valuable observations on the 

 habits of the Tuatara. Permission was granted to Prof. Dendy 

 by the Government to collect both eggs and specimens for 

 scientific investigation, and the result of Mr. Henaghan's 

 observations has been to show that eggs can be obtained all the 

 year round by those who know where to look for them. For- 

 tunately for the Tuatara Mr. Henaghan appears to be the only 

 collector who does know at present, and it is to be hoped that 

 before his knowledge is made public the Government will take 

 steps to prohibit the taking of eggs as well as of adults, for we 

 believe the wording of the Act leaves the eggs unprotected. 

 We believe that two German collectors have lately made 

 vigorous, but as yet unsuccessful, efforts to collect the eggs. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge.— Mr. E. W. Barnes, bracketed Second 

 Wrangler 1896, Class I., first division Mathematical Tripos, 

 Part II , 1897, has been elected to a fellowship at Trinity 

 College. 



Prof. Liveing has been appointed a University Governor of 

 the South-eastern Agricultural College, Wye, for five years. 



Prof. Flinders Petrie has presented to the Museum of 

 Anatomy and Anthropology nineteen cases of skulls and bones 

 from his excavations at Hierakonopolis, including remains 

 of the prehistoric and earliest dynastic races in Egypt. Prof. 

 Macalister remarks that with this addition the University 

 collections in Egyptian anthropology are probably the largest 

 in Europe ; it consists of specimens representing all periods of 

 Egyptian historv from prehistoric times down to the battle of 

 Tel-el-Kebir. 



Prof. Foster will this term give a weekly lecture on the 

 history of Physiology. The first lecture, on Monday, October 24, 

 will be on Claude Bernard. 



The Reader in Geography, Mr. Yule Oldham, lectures this 

 term on the geography of Europe and on physical geography. 



The University of Sydney is to become affiliated to the 

 University of Cambridge, and students in arts or in science who 

 have pursued a certain course at Sydney will be entitled to the 

 privileges of affiihated students. 



Mr. John Corbett, formerly M.P. for Mid-Worcestershire, 

 has offered to give 50,000/. for founding and endowing a school 

 of agriculture for sons of tenant farmers for the county of 

 Worcester and district. 



One of the most recent of the many educational conferences 

 held in the United States during the past ten years, was that of 

 a Committee on Physical Geography appointed under the 

 National Educational Association. As is usual in such cases, 

 the members of the Committee were selected from a wide range 

 of educational institutions, including universities, colleges, en- 

 dowed schools, and public schools (in the American sense of the 

 term) ; the expert in the scientific aspects of the subject being 

 thus associated with the practised teacher, who is familiar with 

 the capacities and limitations of young scholars. The pre- 

 liminary report of the Committee is published in the Journal of 

 School Geography for September. It is strongly urged that the 

 physical environment of man should constitute the leading 

 theme of the subject, and that irrelevant items from astronomy, 



NO. I512, VOL. 58] 



principles of physics, topics from historical geology, and the 

 classification of animals and plants should be carefully excluded, 

 in order to give time for the proper development of physical 

 geography itself. 



Three members oi a series, to be known as the Harvard geo- 

 graphical models, constructed by Mr. G. C. Curtis from designs 

 by Prof. W. M. Davis, have been reproduced in a durable 

 composition by Messrs. Ginn and Co., educational publishers, 

 Boston, Mass. , as aids in systematic geographical teaching. The 

 models, 25 by 19 inches in size, may be used in elementary classes 

 in illustration of type forms, such as mountains, peaks, ridges, 

 glaciers, valleys, plains, volcanoes, capes, islands, rivers, lakes, 

 deltas, bays, &c. They also serve for more advanced instruction 

 in rational or explanatory physical geography. The second 

 model is derived from the first by elevation, whereby a low and 

 flat coastal plain is added to the mountainous background. The 

 third is derived from the first by depression, whereby the valleys 

 among the mountains are transformed into bays, and the ridges 

 stand forth as promontories, the coast-line being changed from 

 a simple to a very irregular outline. Many applications 

 of the principles thus taught may be made in all grades of 

 geographical teaching. 



The annual meeting of the governors of University College, 

 Liverpool, was held on Saturday last. The Earl of Derby, 

 president of the college, occupied the chair, and, in moving the 

 adoption of Principal Glazebrook's report, which was of a very 

 satisfactory character, he said that though much had been done, 

 much yet remained to be accomplished. A pressing need was a 

 proper building for the department of physics, and another very 

 pressing need was a suitable building for the school of human 

 anatomy. Prof. Oliver Lodge deserved to be furnished with 

 adequate meansjfor the important work in which he was engaged. 

 That, however, might be postponed so that the more pressing 

 equipment of a building for the school of human anatomy might 

 be provided. The cost would be about 20,000/., and he would 

 contribute a quarter of this sum if other benefactors were forth- 

 coming. It was announced by the treasurer that besides the 

 5000/. from Lord Derby, he had that day received a cheque for 

 2000/. from Mr. Ralph Brocklebank, for the school of anatomy. 

 Incidentally it was mentioned that the land, buildings, and en- 

 dowments of University College represented a total value of 

 400,000/., though the college was founded only in October 

 1880. 



Copies of the prospectuses of the Day and Evening Classes 

 held at the South-Western Polytechnic have been received. 

 This Polytechnic has been built and equipped at a cost of nearly 

 55,000/., the greater part of which has been raised by voluntary 

 subscriptions. The institute at present possesses a fixed endow- 

 ment of 1500/. annually from the Charity Commissioners. The 

 London County Council will also contribute to the institute an 

 annual sum, depending upon the amount of educational work 

 carried on ; and it is anticipated that this contribution will 

 average about 3500/. annually. The Principal is Prof. Herbert 

 Tomlinson, F. R.S., and from the prospectuses referred to we 

 see that the operations of the institute are of a kind which will 

 benefit industry and encourage scientific study. The Day 

 College comprises two departments, viz. the technical depart- 

 ment, in which students are instructed in the principles of applied 

 science, and the general department, which aims at giving a 

 general education, or special training in science, art, literature, 

 or commerce. The evening classes and lectures are designed to 

 supplement, and not to supersede, the training of the workshop. 

 Among the subjects taught in the mathematical classes we notice 

 the calculus and its application to electrical and other engineering 

 problems. The subjects taught at the Polytechnic cover a wide 

 range, as they also do in other London polytechnics ; and they 

 provide all who wish to learn with facilities for doing so. 



The trustees of the late Sir Edwin Chadwick have founded in 

 memory of the great sanitarian a course of lectures and demon- 

 strations in municipal hygiene at University College, London, 

 and have devoted a sum of 700/. a year to the endowment of a 

 chair of municipal engineering and a lectureship of municipal 

 hygiene. They have given the further sum of 1000/. for the 

 purpose of instruments and appliances, and for the amplification 

 of existing laboratories. The British Medical Journal reports 

 that, on Wednesday, October 12, Prof. Osbert Chadwick, son 

 of Sir Edwin Chadwick, delivered an inaugural address opening 

 the first course. After giving a sketch of the history of the 



