June 2, 1910J 



NATURE 



417 



year extend their borders at the expense of neighbouring 

 plants. In the vanguard of such colonies thfere is doubtless 

 very keen competition for the space, and the weaker or 

 less suitably adapted species will be slowly driven before 

 the stronger. This, however, is unlikely to go on con- 

 tinuously, because the stronger species will sooner or later 

 meet with physical or chemical barriers which it is ill 

 adapted to overcome, but to which the weaker species may 

 be better adapted. Quite commonly, it is not that com- 

 petition for available space is so great, but that the local 

 conditions favour the dominant growth of a few individual 

 species. One frequently finds normal terrestrial or marsh 

 species taking on the aquatic habit : instance Ranunculus 

 Flammula, Juncus supinus, J. acutiflorus. Peplis Portula, 

 &c., but always of their own free will, so to speak, i.e. 

 by the exercise of the subtle power of adaptability, which 

 is more or less the common possession of all plants. 



From another aspect of this interesting subject it appears 

 that other causes for variation, with the consequent pro- 

 duction of new forms, lie in the fact that although the 

 conditions for plant life are so often remote from the 

 ideal, yet the plastic power possessed by plants, enabling 

 them to adapt themselves to the various combinations of 

 edaphic and climatic conditions, is so great that there are 

 comparatively few spots, where existence is possible, in 

 which some plant or other is not able to thrive and carry 

 on its metabolic activities. Now in order to maintain a 

 proper tone of health, a plant has of necessity to respond 

 in suitable ways to all the varying external impressions. 

 .A plant is therefore in a constant and continual state of 

 change, owing to the never-ceasing mechanical, physical, 

 and chemical changes of its unstable environment. The 

 plastic nature of many plants enables them to modify their 

 organs in reciprocation to any fairly constant set of 

 environmental conditions, and it is in this endeavour to 

 accommodate themselves for the maintenance of healthy 

 existence in places that are either inhospitable or too 

 luxurious that certain deviations, either fixed or transient, 

 from the usual forms of more normal environments are 

 to be accounted for, and such variations occur in almost 

 every loch. That some of such variants may doubtless be 

 concerned in the origin of new species and varieties is the 

 impression received, but other causes also contribute 

 towards that process. 



The rapid increase of aquatic and marsh pl.ints in 

 reservoirs that are used for the public water supply is 

 occasionallv a matter of anxiety and expense to the 

 owners. Enormous sums of money are frequently paid 

 by public bodies for advice respecting the construction of 

 reservoirs to persons wholly unacquainted with the local 

 geological features, as well as with the flora and fauna 

 of the district. Whilst it is very unwise to construct a 

 reservoir over a geological fault and expect it to hold 

 water fand this has been done), it is equally vain to make 

 a shallow reservoir in the line of the constant migration 

 of w^ater-fowl (i.e. between their resorts) and expect it to 

 maintain a freedom from water plants. The greatest depth 

 at which aquatic olants will flourish in Scottish waters is 

 about 40 feet. It is very unlikelv, however, that the 

 species capable of growing at such a depth will ever 

 become a nuis.ince in a reservoir : but at a depth of 20 f^et 

 it will be found that, in suit.nble water, many soecies 

 capable of giving trouble will flourish. Upon consid^r-T- 

 tion of these facts, it seems advisable, as a prevention 

 against the development of w.iter plants, to construct 

 reservoirs with sides «o steep that a minimum depth of 

 from 20 to 2? feet will be maintained within a few vards 

 of •^S'- rrti-rfm. Morpovpr. the sides, unless of natural 

 rprk. should be faced with stonework, which will further 

 impede the growth of plants, as well as prevent dis- 

 coloration of the water by wave-erosion. 



The 124 figures contained in the present paper, together 

 with the no which illustrate the author's previous publica- 

 tion on the same subject, form an interesting and in- 

 structive series of views of the vegetation of Scottish lochs 

 frorn an ecological aspect. 



In a comparative table the plants are arranged in seven 

 ecological groups, in each of which the species found in 

 peaty and non-peaty lochs are indicated with the depths 

 at which thev grow. The list of plants contains some 

 new records for the districts. 



NO. 2 1 18, VOL. 8^1 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



C.A.MBRIDGE.— The \'ice-Chancelior has published to the 

 Senate a minute of the council of Trinity College support- 

 ing the plea for the establishment of a professorship of 

 bio-chemistry, and stating that, with the view of making 

 increased provision for higher teaching and research in that 

 subject, pending the establishment of a professorship, the 

 college has appointed Mr. F. G. Hopkins, at present reader 

 in chemical physiology, to a praelectorship in bio-chemistr)-, 

 and proposes to elect him to a fellowship. 



The General Board of Studies will shortly proceed to 

 appoint a university lecturer in mathematics in succession 

 to Dr. Hobson. The appointment will be for five years 

 from October 1, 19 10. Candidates are requested to send 

 their names, with testimonials if they think fit, to the 

 Vice-Chancellor on or before Saturday, June 4. 



Mr. R. H. Lock has been approved by the general board 

 of studies for the degree of doctor in science. 



Mr. A. J. N. Tremearne has been approved for the 

 diploma in anthropology. This is the first time a diploma 

 has been granted in this subject. 



The board of agricultural studies, in consultation with 

 the president of the Royal Agricultural Society, has 

 nominated Mr. F. R. Salter to be the Gilbey lecturer on the 

 history and economics of agriculture for one year from 

 October i, 19 10. 



At the closing ceremony of session 1910-n of the 

 University College of North Wales, Bangor, to be held on 

 Friday, June 24, Dr. J. J. Dobbie, F.R.S., principal of the 

 Government Laboratories, London, will deliver an address 

 on " Museums : their Aims and Methods." 



Ox Monday evening, May 23, on the invitation of the 

 Rector of the University of Berne, Prof. Schafer, of Edin- 

 burgh, gave a lecture on the functions of the pituitary 

 body in the aula of the University before a large and 

 appreciative audience. The lecture formed one of a series 

 which was designed to commemorate the seventy-fifth 

 anniversary of the re-founding of the University'. In pro- 

 posing a vote of thanks the Rector announced that the 

 University had conferred the honorary degree of M.D. 

 upon the lecturer, who was thereupon duly presented with 

 the diploma. 



Steps are being taken by the Government of Queens- 

 land to invite applications in London for the professorial 

 staff of the university shortly to be opened in that State. 

 The chairs to be filled are classics, mathematics and 

 physics, chemistry, and engineering. Applications will 

 shortly be invited by -Uajor T. B. Robinson, the Agent- 

 General in London, from gentlemen competent to fill the 

 positions. The salary of each professor is to be 900/. a 

 year. The Government of Queensland will contribute 

 10,000/. a year for the next seven years to the University. 

 Arts, science, and engineering will be the three great 

 faculties, and the proposal in the first Bill that commerce 

 was to be a faculty, with a lecturer and a degree of 

 B.Com., has disappeared. 



Prof. Ri;dolf Tombo, jun.. of Columbia University, 

 contributes to Science of May 6 some interesting statistics 

 of certain Continental universities. During the winter of 

 1909-10 there were 58,342 students in attendance at 

 German universities, 93*5 per cent, of these being men and 

 6 ■^ per cent, women. The matriculated students consti- 

 tuted 90"8 per cent, of the grand total, the remainder being 

 auditors. The largest number of German students were to 

 be found at Berlin, which had a total of 10,319; the next 

 six out of the 21 German universities with their number of 

 students were Munich, 7321; Leipzig, 5630; Bonn, 3880; 

 Breslau, 2759 ; Halle, 2660 ; and Gottingen, 2342. Berlin 

 attracted the largest number of matriculated women, and 

 was followed by Munich, Gottingen, Heidelberg, and 

 Bonn. Vienna is by far the largest of the Austrian uni- 

 versities, being surpassed in point of attendance (9580) 

 only by Berlin among German institutions, while the 

 I'niversity of Borne (2507) is the most largely attended of 

 ."^wiss universities. If the attendance at the German uni- 

 versities during the winter of 1909-10 be compared with 

 that of 1893-4, it is found that the number of matriculated 



