July 17, 19 19] 



NATURE 



397 



knowledge of its prey's exact position and movements 

 in space; then it can direct its own course with 

 greater directness and precision to its goal. 



At first vision conveys little or no affective feeling 

 or psychological meaning ; it acquires this secondarily 

 from the sense of smell. But the visual mechanisms 

 in the brain controK the direction of the animal's 

 movements ; and the receptive centre for the optic 

 nerve (the tectum of the mid-brain) is put into direct 

 connection with all the motor nuclei to effect this pur- 

 pose. So far as influences from the outside world 

 are concerned, smell determines the animal's be- 

 haviour, vision directs it, and the vestibular 

 mechanism (cerebellum) provides the means by which 

 the actions of the muscles can be oo-ordinated to 

 perform the movements in an orderly and useful way. 

 As the result of these events the influences of all 

 these other experiences are integrated with sensations 

 of smell. Not only are vision, touch, the sensation 

 of movement, etc., thus afforded the opportunity of 

 participating in the mental life, but a fuller 

 appreciation of spacial relations also is acquired bv 

 the animal as these other senses add their quota to 

 the creature's knowledge, and obtain a fuller repre- 

 sentation in the cerebral cortex as the means towards 

 this end. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Aberdeen. — Prof. A. Findlay, professor of chemis- 

 try. University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, has 

 been appointed to the chsir of chemistrv in succession 

 to Prof. Soddy. 



Birmingham. — Mr. Humphrey F. Humphreys has 

 been appointed lecturer on dental anatomy and physio- 

 logy and curator of the Odontological Museum in suc- 

 cession to Mr. John Humphreys, who has resigned. 



The Ingleby lecture for 1920 will be delivered by 

 Mr. Beckwith Whitehouse. 



Dr. B. Muriel Bristol has been awarded an 1851 

 Exhibition scholarship of the value of 2ooi. as a result 

 of the excellence of her work on the algae of soil, 

 carried out in the botanical department during the 

 past three years. 



Dr. Nellie Carter has been awarded 150L for the 

 next session by the Department of Scientific and 

 Industrial Research on the condition that she con- 

 tinues her research work under Prof. G. S. West in 

 the University botanical department. 



The Council has gratefullv accepted from the family 

 of the late Mr. W. H. Wilkinson, of Sutton Cold- 

 field, a very valuable gift for the herbarium of the 

 botanical department, consisting of a collection of 

 lichens and the associated library collected by the late 

 Mr. Wilkinson. The Council has received a further 

 very valuable gift from Prof. West of the collections 

 of mosses, hepatics, and lichens made bv his father, 

 the late Mr. W. West, of Bradford. This, combined 

 with Mr. Wilkinson's collection, will give the Uni- 

 versity one of the finest collections of lichens in 

 Britain. 



Bristol. — The University has made the following 

 appointments to the professorial chairs mentioned : — 

 Botany : Dr. Otto Vernon Darbishire, lecturer in 

 botany in the University. Education: Dr. Helen 

 Marion Wodehouse, Principal of the Bingley Training 

 College. Yorkshire. Henry Overton Wills' Chair of 

 Mathevmtics : Dr. H. Ronald Hass^, late fellow of 

 St. John's College, Cambridge; senior lecturer in 

 mathematics in the University of Manchester. 

 Mechanical Engineering: Major Andrew Robertson. 

 Henry Overton Wills Chair of Physics : Dr. .Arthur 

 Mannering Tyndall, acting head of the department of 

 physics in the University during the war. Henry 

 NO. 2594, VOL. 103] 



Overton Wills Chair of Physiology: Dr. George A. 

 Buckmaster, assistant professor of physiology in the 

 University of London. 



Liverpool. — A course of lectures on oceanography, 

 open to the public, without fee, will be delivered by 

 Prof. W. A. Herdman during the autumn and Lent 

 terms, commencing on October 14. 



Dr. Leonard Doncaster, F.R.S., has been appointed 

 to the chair of zoology in the University. He is a 

 fellow of King's College, Cambridge; was lecturer in 

 zoology, Birmingham University, in 1906-10; special 

 lecturer in heredity and variation at Cambridge in 

 1909; and University lecturer there in zoology, 

 1911-17. 



Dr. Addison, Minister of Health, has provisionally 

 promised to deliver the inaugural address at the open- 

 ing of the session at the London (Royal Free Hos- 

 pital) School of Medicine for Women on Wednesday, 

 October i. 



To a private deputation from the Education Com- 

 mittee of the Pariiamentary Labour Party, who urged 

 upon him the desirability of an inquiry into the 

 organisation and financial position of the Universities 

 of Oxford and Cambridge, Mr. Fisher has made the 

 important announcement that the Government has 

 decided to appoint Commissions to inquire into the 

 position of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. 

 .\t both Universities the existing resources have proved 

 inadequate to meet the increased cost of maintenance 

 of the various departments, and a few months ago 

 the authorities of each independently applied to the 

 Government for financial aid. In reply to these 

 requests Mr. Fisher, on behalf of the Government, 

 stated that such grants out of Parliamentary funds 

 could be sanctioned only on the condition that in due 

 course comprehensive inquiries into the whole re- 

 sources of the Universities and their colleges and the 

 use made of them should be instituted by the Govern- 

 ment. The Cambridge Senate on May 31 authorised 

 the Vice-Chancellor to inform Mr. Fisher that the 

 University would welcome a comprehensive inquiry 

 into its financial resources, and at Oxford a similar 

 decision was taken by Convocation on June 10. 



The President of the Board of Education has 

 appointed a Committee to inquire into the organisa- 

 tion of secondary education in Wales, and to advise 

 how it may be consolidated and co-ordinated with, a 

 view to the establishment of a national system of 

 public education in Wales, regard being had to the 

 provisions of the Education Act, 1918, and to the 

 recommendations of the Royal Commission on Uni- 

 versitv Education in Wales. The members of the 

 Comrhittee are as follows -.—The Hon. W. N. Bruce 

 (chairman), Mr. W. R. Barker, Mr. J. N. Davies, Sir 

 Owen Edwards. Miss M. L. Faithfull. Mr. William 

 George, Mr. Thomas Griffiths, Miss E. P. Hughes, 

 Prof. Ramsav Muir, the Rev. Prebendan.- Prosser, 

 and the Rev.' D. H. Williams. The secretary will 

 be Mr. T. O. Roberts, to whom nil communications 

 on the subject should be addressed at the Board of 

 Education, Victoria and .Albert Museum, South 

 Kensington, S.W.7. 



The Surveyors' Institution offers annually four 

 scholarships, two of Sol. per annum and two of 50I.. 

 for intending land agents, valuers, building sur\-eyors, 

 municipal surveyors, etc. Each scholarship is tenable 

 for three years at any university or affiliated college 

 selected by the candidate successful in the competi- 

 tive examination and approved by the council of 

 the institution, subject to the scholar satisfying the 

 authorities of his university or college in regard to 

 progress and conduct. Each scholar, on election, must 

 become a member of the university or college selected. 



