June 5, 1884] 



NA TURE 



1 29 



His intelligence was feebly developed, and was in any 

 case quite |below that of the other anthropoid apes, or 



'-'■"-- ' - '■•- -j 



even of the gibbons. Since the above note was presented 

 by Alph. Milne-Edwards to the Paris Academy of Sciences 

 the young gorilla died at the Jardin des Plantes. 



NOTES 



The portrait of the late Sir William Siemens which we give 

 this week as one in our series of Scientific Worthies, belongs to 

 the previous volume of Nature, and is intended to accompany 

 the memoir at p. 97. 



The Secretary of State for India has determined that India 

 shall be represented at the forthcoming International Prime 

 Meridian Conference at Washington, and lias nominated as the 

 India Office delegate Lieut. -General R. Strachey, C.S.I. Capt. 

 Sir Fred. J. O. Evans, R.N., K.C.B., F.R.S., and Prof. J. C. 

 Adams, F.R.S., on the recommendation of the Science and Art 

 Department, have been appointed delegates to represent the 

 United Kingdom at the Conference. 



On May 28, at an extraordinary meeting of the Vienna Aca- 

 demy of Sciences, Count Hans Wilczek was elected Honorary 

 Member. In the Mathematical and Natural Science Section, 

 Dr. Albrecht Schrauf, Professor of Mineralogy at the Vienna 

 University, and Dr. Leopold Gegenbauer, Professor of Mathe- 

 matics at the Innsbruck University, were elected Corresponding 

 Members. As Foreign Honorary Members were elected Sir 

 William Thomson, and Charles Hermite (Paris) ; as Foreign Cor- 

 responding Members, Prof. L. Leuckart ( Leipzig), Prof. Edward 

 Frankland, and Prof. Carl Nageli (Munich). 



The " Rede " Lecture was delivered on Wednesday, last 

 week, in the Cambridge University Senate House, by Mr. 

 Francis Galton, M.A., F.R.S. Mr. Gallon, who had selected 

 as the subject for the lecture "The Measurement of Human 

 Faculty," stated that, although it had been a matter of contro- 

 versy whether a more complete measurement of man's capacity 

 could be attained than was already discovered by means of exa- 

 minations which measured intellectual capacity, yet he would 

 endeavour to demonstrate that as the capacity of man, taken in 

 its widest sense, including character and physique, was finite, 

 therefore it was measurable. He pointed out that an important 

 adjunct to the attempt to measure human faculty would be re- 

 cords containing particulars regarding eyesight, colour-sense, 

 hearing, breathing capability, height, span of arms, &c. At the 

 Johns Hopkins University in America physical education and hy- 

 giene were compulsory on all students, and although the physical 

 measurements taken were not compulsory yet few objected, and the 

 result was that the most valuable statistics were collected, and 

 in many instances good advice given to the students in what way 

 to counteract the effects of any abnormal condition observed, 

 such as irregularity of muscular development. Mr. Galton con- 

 cluded by suggesting that a laboratory should be opened at 

 Cambridge to investigate this new science. The cost would be 

 small ; the result, he ventured to predict, would be large and 

 beneficial, for, by the compiling of continuous records of health, 

 growth, and (disease, much useful knowledge would be acquired, 

 and by a long series of observations on the lines he had indi- 

 cated it would be possible to measure the human faculty as accu- 

 rately as, if not more so than, our system of examinations measures 

 the intellectual faculty. 



We understand that the Fishery Board for Scotland is anxious 

 to have powers enabling it to remove obstructions which interfere 

 with the ascent of salmon up several Scottish rivers. It is 

 specially desirous to introduce as soon as possible a fishway at 

 the falls, and this, when done, would open up some 500 miles 

 of excellent fishing and spawning ground. Last week there 

 were several interesting arrivals from fishery officers : — (1) A 

 fine specimen of the "Opah fish" {Lampris guttata) was 

 taken off Unst Island, Shetland, on May 22, and forwarded by 

 the fishery officer to Prof. Ewart, University of Edinburgh. The 

 fish, which measured 4 feet in length and over 2 feet in depth, 

 has been handed over to Prof. Turner. This Opah will enable 

 Prof. Turner to complete an account of the fish begun some years 

 ago, when he received a somewhat smaller specimen from the Moray 

 Firth. (2) A turbot with peculiar frontal process, an eye on 

 each side of the head, both sides of the body equally dark, and 

 provided with spines. (3) Mature sprats. It seems proved that 

 sprats leave the estuaries in spring to spawn at sea. (4) Deve- 

 loping herring eggs. Taken along with similar specimens which 

 have been arriving since October last, these show that herring 

 spawn on the east coast from August until May, and not, as is 

 usually supposed, only during August and September and during 

 February and March. 



In response to the appeal of the Prince of Wales, as Presi- 

 dent of the City and Guilds of London Institute, the following 

 contributions have been already promised to the General Fund 

 and to the Equipment Fund of the Central Institution, Exhibi- 

 tion Road, by the undermentioned Companies : — Fishmongers, 

 4000/. ; Mercers, 2000/. ; Clothworkers, 2000/. ; Corporation 

 of London, 1000/. ; Skinners, 1000/., and an increased sub- 

 scription of 500/. annually ; Leather-sellers, 500/. ; Carpenters, 

 500/. ; Armourers and Braziers, 300/. ; Tallow Chandlers, 

 105/. ; Scriveners, 105/. ; Stationers, 52/. ioj-. annually ; Clock- 

 makers, 26/. 5-f. The letter of the President is still under the 

 consideration of the Courts of several Companies, and it is 

 confidently expected that the sum required will be obtained. 



