NA TURE 



[December 28, 1905 



viz. August, the chicken is hatched out, and becomes the 

 unwilling recipient of so much attention from its parents, 

 and from such other adults as have no young of their own 

 to attend to, that upwards of 77 per cent, die, and may be 

 picked up frozen on the sea-ice, within the first month or 

 two of their existence. This high death-rate is in a large 

 measure the result of the quarrels of adult birds for 

 possession of a chicken, all having an overpowering desire 

 to brood over something. In many cases the desire leads 

 to brooding over dead chicks until they are actually rotten. 



Much was said of the trials that must be endured by 

 the naturalist who wishes to see this bird in its breeding 

 haunts. He must be ready to encounter the lowest 

 temperatures hitherto recorded, under canvas, sleeping 

 three in a bag for what warmth can Lie procured at 40 , 

 50°, and 6o° below zero Fahrenheit, and for a fortnight 

 or three weeks at a stretch. Much, also, was said of the 

 various sledge expeditions undertaken, after its first dis- 

 covery by Engineer-Lieutenant Skelton, R.N., for the 

 purpose of fully investigating the emperor penguin rookery 

 .11 Cape Crozier ; of lb'- discovery "I the first egg on the 

 sea-ice by Lance-Corporal Blissett, R.M.L.I., and of the 

 exceptional circumstances which, in the following year, 

 enabled the lecturer to bring back to the ship a series of 

 some fourteen eggs and several dozen of the young. 



Examples were shown at the close of the lecture, which 

 was further illustrated by a series of lantern slides, made 

 from photographs taken mainly by Mr. Skelton and from 

 drawings by the lecturer of the various stages in growth of 

 the emperor penguin, from infancy to old age. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 



INTELLIGENCE. 



In view of the approaching contest for the representation 



of the University of London in Parliament, Sir Michael 



Foster, K.C.B., and Sir Philip Magnus have placed their 



opinions before members of Convocation of the University. 



Sir William Anson has accepted the position of presi- 

 dent of the Association of Technical Institutions for next 

 year in succession to Sir Philip Magnus. The annual 

 meeting of the association will be held at the Fishmongers' 

 Hall on January 26 and 27. 



The annual conversazione of the Royal College of Science 

 and Royal School of Mines was held on December 20. 

 All the departments of the college and school were open, 

 and many interesting exhibits were shown in chemistry, 

 physics, mechanics, metallurgy, mining, geology, botany, 

 and zoology, including applied science. The metallurgy 

 section comprised a working exhibition of Japanese smelt- 

 ing methods shown for the first time in Europe. Japanese 

 casting was made during the evening. The programme 

 also included a lecture by Prof. S. H. Cox on " Incidents 

 of a Mining Career." 



The late Mr. John Feeney, by his will dated June 22, 

 1903, bequeathed sums amounting to 89,000/. towards 

 various institutions and objects connected with Birming- 

 ham and district. These include 20,000!. to the University 

 of Birmingham. This bequest is for the purpose of 

 maintaining a professor, with suitable equipment, lecturing 

 on some one or more scientific subjects directly connected 

 with some one or more of the trades and industries carried 

 on in or near Birmingham. All the bequests are given 

 free of legacy duty, but payment cannot be claimed until 

 the expiration of five years. 



The Board of Education has published the reports, for 

 the year ending Mar.h 31, 1005, of fourteen colleges which 

 participated during the year in the annual grant, amounting 

 to 54,000/., made by Parliament for " university colleges 

 in Great Britain," and from the three colleges in Wales 

 which receive a grant of 4000/. each. The reports have 

 been compiled, so far as has been found conveniently 

 possible, under the same headings as those' adopted in 

 previous years. The distinguishing characteristic of the 

 reports is the elaborate balance sheet with which each is 

 provided showing exactly the revenue available in the case 

 of each college and what precisely is done with it. 



NO. 1887, VOL. 73"! 



A Blle Book (Cd. 2782) has been published giving the 

 statistics of public education in England and Wales for 

 the years 1903-5. The volume of 442 pages is divided 

 into three sections, dealing respectively with elementary 

 schools, State-aided secondary schools, and technical 

 institutions, schools of art and day art classes, evening 

 schools, and similar forms of education. A technical 

 institution within the meaning of the regulations of the 

 Board of Education is an institution giving an organised 

 course of instruction in day classes, including advanced 

 instruction, and provided with a staff and equipment 

 adequate for the purpose. Provision must be made for 

 at li asl a two years' systematic course in science, or in 

 si em e .111,1 art, either alone or in conjunction with subjects 

 of general, commercial, manual, or technological instruc- 

 tion ; and subject to certain temporary provisions, no 

 student may lie admitted to the course unless he has passed 

 through, at least, a three years' course of instruction in a 

 school recognised under the regulations of the Board for 

 secondary schools, or unless he is more than sixteen years 

 of age and is qualified from his general education to profit 

 by a' course of advanced instruction. These institutions, in 

 fact, afford instruction adapted for the preparation of 

 voung men for employment in connection with the trades, 

 manufactures, and commerce of the country. They also 

 provide higher courses of specialised instruction in science 

 in relation to particular industries, likely to be required 

 by students who have already had a good training in pun- 

 science. The number of these institutions receiving grants 

 was nineteen in 1903-4. The number of students who 

 attended at all during the year was 2143, and a grant 

 of 5683!. was paid on 1056 of these who attended a full 

 course ol instruction. In the same year there were ;579 

 recognised evening schools with 0013,882 students in attend- 

 1 , on whose work a grant of 304,962/. was paid. 



At the annual headmasters' conference held at the 

 College of Preceptors, London, on December 21, the subject 

 of the inspection of schools was dealt with very fully, and 

 numerous resolutions were adopted. Dr. Gow, of West- 

 minster, moved a resolution, subsequently carried nem. con., 

 that the conference desires to emphasise the principle that 

 inspection should take into due consideration the aims and 

 circumstances of the school inspected, and regard intel- 

 lectual methods and results as of greater weight than 

 material equipment and appliances. Dr. Cow is reported 

 by the Press to have said " there is a general opinion on 

 the part of the public, which is shared by many teachers 

 of science, that great expenditure is necessary for effective- 

 scientific teaching, and that schools are invited to compete 

 with one another in mere expenditure. This competition 

 is bad for the schools, for the teachers, and for the boys." 

 It may be contended, he continued, that the better the 

 teacher the more apparatus he wants, but Dr. Gow 

 admitted that his own experience is the contrary of this. 

 " No contention can be more absurd," he concluded by say- 

 ing, " than that science teaching differs from any other 

 because the science teacher does not teach by authority ; 

 it is, as a fact, conducted quite as much on authority as 

 classical teaching, or divinity, or any other subject. The 

 experiments are merely illustrations." The headmaster of 

 Westminster has apparently been unfortunate in his ex- 

 perience of science teaching. Every man of science agrees 

 with him that for the effective teaching of the broad 

 principles of science the simplest apparatus, if of the right 

 kind, is sufficient. This tompetition among schools to 

 provide the most luxurious laboratories and lavishly stocked 

 lecture-rooms, if it exists, is at least a very modern growth, 

 and should, as Dr. Gow maintains, be discouraged. But 

 at the same lime a sensibly designed science workshop 

 with simple fittings and .111 adequate supply of ordinary 

 apparatus is an absolute necessity for every efficient school. 

 It is difficult to understand what Dr. Gow means when 

 he maintains that science leaching is as much based on 

 authority as the teaching of classics or divinity. There 

 is a confusion of thought here. Reasonable science teach- 

 ing, with which Dr. Cow seems unfamiliar, insists that 

 the pupil shall believe only because experimental results 

 leave no other alternative, and not because a teacher or 

 a text-book makes a statement. If in any school experi- 

 ments .ire used only as illustrations the methods of science 



