362 
series of card catalogues. The work done by Dr. 
Jongmans for the last three years must be done for 
the last 150 years, and put in the handiest form for 
reference, which is, of course, a card catalogue. 
Then there must be a complete card index of all the 
names ever given to fossil plants. At present, most 
palzeobotanists, all indeed, save a very few, tend to 
despise questions of nomenclature, but our science is 
in a very bad way owing to the immense numbers 
of names given on insufficient or wrong grounds. 
One cannot emphasise too strongly the urgent neces- 
sity for palzobotanists to reduce order from the chaos 
of their present nomenclature, and this can only be 
done by some centralising institution or committee, 
who are sufficiently grounded in the science to realise 
the special needs of palzeobotany. 
Beyond all this it must not be forgotten that the 
collections of fossil plants at present made are trivial 
in comparison with those which will have to he | 
made from all parts of the earth before we can com- 
pletely unravel the histories of the ancient continents, 
solve questions of past climates, restore the details of 
innumerable extinct floras, and reconstruct the tree of 
plant evolution through the ages. 
In spite of all the discoveries of palzobotany 
immense problems still lie unsolved. Darwin said, in 
a letter to Hooker, ‘‘The rapid development, so far 
as we can judge, of all the higher plants within 
recent geological times is an abominable mystery.” 
To-day it is an abominable mystery still, and an 
abominable mystery it will remain until palazobotany 
is recognised as an independent science, and housed, 
endowed, and equipped so that she has the tools she 
needs for her work. 
- UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
Campripce.—The Board of Agricultural Studies 
reports that the number of students receiving instruc- 
tion in the school of agriculture is 320. The number 
of senior students, exclusive of members of the staff, 
engaged in research during the past year was nine- 
teen, In view of the large number of research 
students working in the school of agriculture, the 
University has constituted a degree committee of the 
Board of Agricultural Studies, which has already 
recommended one research student for the B.A. 
degree. ‘The extension of the school of agriculture 
is now practically completed, and will be fully occu- 
pied during the present term by the transference of 
most of the research work from the original building. 
In this way more laboratory accommodation is pro- 
vided for teaching. 
Under a general scheme for research worl: in 
forestry, the Board of Agriculture in July, 1912, 
offered a grant to the University to enable investiga- 
tions to be undertaken on questions relating to the 
structure of timber, &c. The forestry committee 
appointed Mr. Burdon as investigator, and Mr. A. P. 
Long as assistant-investigator. The work com- 
menced on- January 1, and rapid progress has been 
made. In addition to two interim ‘ progress reports,” 
a bulletin, the first of a series, on ‘‘Scots Pine in 
Great Britain,” has already been issued by the Uni- 
versity Press, while a second bulletin is now in the 
press. In addition to field investigations of the 
nature dealt with in the bulletin issued, several in- 
vestigations and experiments of a different nature 
have also been started. In April last, the Great 
Northern Railway Company asked the investigator to 
undertake-certain inquiries relative to the preserva- 
tion of sleepers, and their subsequent immunity from 
fungal attacks. An experiment with some thirty 
sleepers is’ now in progress. Under the grant of 
5ool. a year from the Board of Agriculture for advi- 
NO. 2299, VOL. 92] 
NATURE 
“a 
) 
sory work the committee has, in accordance with 
conditions of the grant, appointed Mr. C. Hank 
who took up duties on Aprile1 of this year. Th 
has already been a large demand for advice on 
management of woodlands, from landowners in- 
eastern counties. 
By the will of the late Mr. G. W. Palme 
Reading, a bequest of 10,000/. is made to Univers 
College, Reading. s 
Mr. Arexanper McKenziz, head of the chemis 
department of Birkbeck College, London, has b 
appointed professor of chemistry in University C 
lege, Dundee, in succession to the late Prof. Mi 
Marshall. “a 
Ir is announced that a large bequest, stated to 
approximately 250,o00l., is made in the will of 
late Mr. W. Gibson, of London and Belfast, to inst 
tute a scheme for providing sons of farmers of cout 
ties Down and Antrim with educational advantag 
No details of the scheme are yet available, 
A Reuter message from Cape Town on Novembe 
14 announces that Prof. John Perry, F.R.S., h 
been appointed a member of the University Comm 
sion which is to investigate matters connected wi 
higher education and to consider the conditions und 
which the Wernher and Beit donations and bequest: 
for the purposes of the proposed University of South 
Africa may best be utilised. The other members of 
the Commission are Sir Perceval M. Laurene 
formerly Judge President of the Supreme Court 
South Africa, who is the chairman, ex-Justice Meli 
de Villiers, and the Rev. Mr. Bosman. Prof. Perry 
views upon university education were stated by hi 
clearly in an address delivered at Oxford just te 
years ago and published in full in Nature of Decen 
ber 31, 1903 (vol. Ixix., p. 207); and in many paper 
and addresses he has described the useful functions 
of great schools of science and technology. Ri 
Tue annual general meeting of the Association o' 
teachers in Technical Institutions was held on Novem- 
ber 15, at St. Bride’s Foundation Institute, London, 
E.C., when the retiring president, Mr. P. Coleman, 
was in the chair. The annual report of the council — 
was adopted; it shows that the association has con- 
tinued to progress in strength and influence, and has 
maintained the reputation it has earned for energy 
and activity. The increase in membership continues — 
to be satisfactory, and is now about 1200, Two new 
branches were formed during the year, namely the — 
I:eicester Branch and the South of Ireland Branch. 
National councils have now been formed in Scotland 
and Ireland, and the organisation and development 
of these will engage the attention of the council 
during the present session. In the early part of the 
year the council had under consideration the situation — 
which has been created by the abandonment of certain — 
examinations of the Board of Education and the 
general adoption of internal examinations. The 
council finally determined to urge local authorities to— 
form advisory boards in various localities for thé pur- 
pose of assisting in the coordination of examinations — 
within a district. The council feels that the present 
position with regard to the salaries of technical 
teachers is unsatisfactory. Although the cost of 
living has increased considerably, the salaries of 
teachers have not appreciably increased. The council — 
hopes that in a very short time it will be able to — 
report that important steps have been taken to obtain 
a satisfactory solution of this matter. The desire for 
cooperation between. the different associations of | 
teachers continues to increase, and this association, | 
as representing technical teachers, has, during the 
past year, lost no opportunity of joint action with 
other professional bodies. Mr. P. Abbott, Regent 
