118 
although the species is very widely distributed, no one in any 
country had been able to discover how the elvers were pro- 
duced. Grassi has shown that, large as the eels are that pass 
into the sea, they are not perfectly developed fish, but only 
attain maturity in the depths of the ocean. There they in due 
time breed, and from their eggs are hatched the young Lepto- 
cephali, which, after attaining a certain size, cease to feed, and 
assume the very different form of the elver. The possibility of 
establishing these remarkable facts depended on the powerful 
oceanic currents that prevail about t Straits of Messina, 
bringing up occasionally to the surface the inhabitants of the 
depths of the sea. was thus able to obtain, from time 
to time, both adult eels with fully developed sexual organs and 
their larval progeny, and he actually observed in an aquarium 
the development of a Leftocephalus brevirostris into an elver. 
Such highly meritorious contributions to evolution are fitly 
recognised by the award of the Darwin medal. E 
1e 
Grassi 
The Society next proceeded to elect the Officers and Council 
for the ensuing year. The list suggested by the President and 
Council, and adopted by the Society, was given in these columns 
November 12 (p. 38). 
on 
[Photogripuea by Martin Jacobette, Queen's Gate Hall, South Kensington. 
Pror. A. W. RUCKER (appointed Junior Secretary). 
[We are glad to be able to give portraits of the new Secretary 
of the Society, and of the recipients of the Rumford medal, 
Royal medal, and Darwin medal. It was unnecessary to include 
Sir Archibald Geikie’s portrait among these, as it has already 
been given in our series of Scientific Worthi and we regret 
that we have not received the portraits of Prof. Gegenbaur and 
M. Moissan. } 
In the evening the Fellows and their friends dined together 
at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Métropole, the attendance being 
larger than any up to the present time. Amongst the guests of 
the Society were the American Ambassador, the Italian Am- 
bassador, the Speaker of the Hou-e of Commons, and the Lord 
Mayor. 
After the usual loyal toasts had been drunk, the President 
proposed ‘‘ The Legislature,” and the Speaker of the House of | 
NO. 1414, \OL. 55 
NATURE 
A 
po) 
[DECEMBER 3, 1896 
Commons responded. The American Ambassador proposed 
‘* The Royal Society,” and the toast was acknowledged by the 
President. | M. Henri Moissan responded to the toast of ‘* The 
Medallists.” Sir John Lubbock proposed the health of the 
retiring Secretary (Lord Rayleigh) and the present Secretary 
(Prof. Riicker), both of whom responded, the evening con- 
cluding with the toast of ‘‘The Guests,” proposed by Prof. 
Riicker, and acknowledged by the Lord Mayor. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
OXFORD.—Convocation has approved the holding of an 
examination in the theory, history and practice of education. 
The examination is to be held every year, and will be open to 
members of the University and others, subject to certain regula- 
tions. No member of the University is to be admitted who has 
not kept residence for at least seven terms. ‘‘ The delegates of 
local examinations shall have power to make arrangements for 
lectures and courses of instruction to be given within the 
University on the theory, history and practice of education. 
They shall also have power to make arrangements with the 
managers or teachers of any secondary or other school, whereby 
students who purpose to be teachers in secondary schools may 
acquire a practical knowledge of educational methods.” 
Mr. C. W. M. Bromley, of Kendal Grammar School, has 
been elected to a Scholarship, and Mr. A. G. Gibson, of 
Aberystwyth College, to a College Exhib‘tion in Natural Science 
at Christ Church. 
The Junior Scientific 
i Club held a meeting on Friday, 
November 27. Mr. ES. Goodrich exhibited a cast of Helo- 
derma and some specimens of a deep-sea Cephalopod. Papers 
were read by Mr. R. Wilkinson on the varieties of Coléas 
edusa and hya/e in England and Switzerland, and by Mr. E. F. 
Morris on dyeing. 
The Provost of Oriel has been re-elected a Delegate of the 
University Museum. 
Messrs. E. S. Craig (University College), J. A. Gardner 
(Magdalen College), M. S. Pembrey (Christ Church), and W. 
Garstang (Lincoln College) have been approved by Convocation 
as examiners for the preliminary examinations in the Honour 
School of Natural Science. 
Lorp Reavy has been elected President of the University 
College, London, in succession to the late Sir John Erichsen. 
UNDER the will of Mrs. Roxburgh, who died last week, the 
Bath Technical Schools are bequeathed one-fourth of the 
residuary estate, after legacies to certain charities have been 
deducted, to provide scholarships ; while the remainder, about 
£8000, is to be used for the erection of an art gallery. 
THE following appointments are announced: Dr. Karl 
Mobins, professor of zoology in Berlin University, to succeed 
Prof. Beyrich as director of the Natural History Museum there ; 
Dr. W. Dames, professor of geology, to be director of the geo- 
logical section of the same museum ; Dr. Emil Schmidt to be 
professor of anthropology in Leipzig University; Dr. Ernst 
Pringsheim to be associate professor of physics at Berlin; Dr. 
Traube and Dr. Friedheim to be associate professors of 
chemistry at Berlin; Dr. Kepinski to be associate professor of 
mathematics at Krakau ; M. Poincaré to be professor of mathe 
matical astronomy and celestial mechanics in the University of 
Paris, and M. Boussinesq to be professor of mathematical 
physics in the same University; Prof. Schenk to be professor 
of anatomy in the University at Vienna ; and Dr. London, of 
the University of Breslau, to be associate professor of mathe- 
matics there; Dr. Kippenberger, Privat-docent at Jena, to be 
professor of chemistry in the medical school at Kairo; Dr. R. 
H. Saltet to be professor of hygiene at Amsterdam, in succession 
to Dr. M. J. Foster; Dr. Gilson to be extraordinary professor 
of chemistry and pharmacy at Ghent ; Dr. C. Julin to be pro- 
fessor of anatomy at Liege; Dr. Theodor Beer to be privat- 
docent in comparative anatomy at Vienna; Dr. Bubnoff, of 
Iurieff (Dorpat), to be professor of hygiene at Moscow, in suc- 
cession to Prof. Erisman. 
THE necessity of early legislation for the promotion of tech- 
nical and secondary education was urged by a large and influential 
deputation, representing many educational bodies and associa- 
tions, which waited upon the Duke of Devonshire on Wednesday 
in last week. In introducing the deputation, Sir Henry Roscoe 
