August 28, 1913 



NATURE 



679 



Museum. The party spent nearly five months in the 

 field, returning with fine series of mammals and birds 

 from this little-known part of Central Asia. Of 

 especial interest in the series of big-game are four 

 rams of the largest known of the wild sheep, as well 

 as specimens of two forms of ibex, and a gazelle. 

 Out of a total of about 650 mammals in the collection, 

 eleven forms are new to science, and some twenty 

 were not previously represented in the National 

 Museum. Mr. George Mixter also visited Siberia, 

 where he secured certain mammals from the region 

 about Lake Baikal, among them bear and seal. 



Of particular interest was a trip made by Dr. Ales 

 Hrdlicka to Siberia and Mongolia, to study the 

 physical anthropology of the natives. His main object 

 was a search for data concerning the race which is 

 supposed to have peopled America. He gathered 

 extensive information and collections, from which he 

 draws the conclusion that there exist in several places 

 in Siberia, Mongolia, and Tibet numerous remains of 

 an ancient population which was physically identical 

 with, and in all probability gave rise to, the American 

 Indian. ' 



The hunting trip carried on by Mr. Paul J. Rainev 

 in British East Africa, in which the institution was 

 represented by Mr. Edmund Heller, was very success- 

 ful ; nearly 4000 mammals, 1000 reptiles, and 400 birds 

 were obtained, as well as many land shells and 

 botanical specimens. From the collection, which 

 supplements that of the Smithsonian African Expedi- 

 tion, there have been as many as forty new species 

 and twelve new genera described. 



The Astrophysical Observatory of the Smithsonian 

 Institution again sent an expedition to Bassour, 

 Algeria, for the continuation of the observations 

 relative to the heat of the sun, an investigation on 

 which the observatorv has been working for the past 

 seven years, with observing stations on Mt. Wilson, 

 California, and during two seasons in Algeria. Mr. 

 Abbot, the director of the observatory, states that the 

 results of the work of iqn and 1012 thoroughly 

 establish the supposed variability of the sun. 



UNIVERSITY, AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



London. — The scheme for the administration of the 

 "East London College, a school of the University of 

 London in the faculties of arts, science, and engineer- 

 ing, was sealed by the Board of Education on August 

 15. It establishes a governing body of nineteen mem- 

 bers, nine of whom are representatives of the Drapers' 

 Company, the body from which the college derives 

 rather more than half its annual income; three repre- 

 sentatives of the University, one of whom must be a 

 woman, with the principal of the college ex officio, 

 two of the Academic Board, which consists of the 

 principal members of the teaching staff, one of the 

 London County Council, and three coopted members. 

 The representatives of the University are Lady Busk, 

 Principal Sir Henry Miers, F.R.S., and Mr! F. D. 

 Acland, M.P., Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, 

 who is a member of the Senate of the University. 



Mr. Harold Pealing, Liverpool, has been appointed 

 lecturer in physics in the South African College, Cape 

 Town. 



Prof. W. H. Young, F.R.S., has been appointed 

 Hardinge professor of mathematics in the University 

 of Calcutta, for the purpose of organising a new 

 school of higher mathematical thought and research. 

 Prof. Young is retaining his chair in Liverpool Uni- 

 versity. 



XO. 2287, VOL. 91] 



We learn from the Allahabad Pioneer Mail that at 

 a meeting of the Bombay University Senate on July 

 2b Sir Alfred Hopkinson, K.C., until recently Vice- 

 Chancellor of the Victoria University of Manchester, 

 was appointed expert adviser on university teaching 

 to the University for a period of six months. 



The calendar for the session 1913-14 of the Mer- 

 chant Venturers' Technical College, Bristol, is now 

 available. It will be remembered that the faculty of 

 engineering of the University of Bristol is provided 

 and maintained by this college, which, in addition, 

 includes a secondary school for boys and a comprehen- 

 sive series of evening classes in science, technology, 

 and commercial and other subjects. The evening 

 courses of work in technology have been arranged to 

 meet the special needs of engineers, men engaged in 

 the building trades in general, carpenters and joiners, 

 plumbers, "and painters and decorators. Saturday 

 afternoon classes for miners have been arranged by 

 the Gloucestershire and Bristol Education Committees 

 and are given in the college. In addition special 

 courses of instruction for women in domestic subjects 

 are provided. 



The Education Committee of the Staffordshire 

 Countv Council has published its " Directory for 

 Higher Education, 1913-14." The booklet contains 

 the regulations of the committee and details of 

 schemes of work in operation throughout the county. 

 Instruction in mining is provided by means of lec- 

 turers, whose whole time is devoted to the work, 

 and their assistants. For this purpose the county is 

 divided into two portions, comprising the North 

 Staffordshire coalfields and the South Staffordshire 

 coalfields respectively. Classes in metallurgy and iron 

 and steel manufacture are conducted in accordance 

 with the regulations of the Board of Education and 

 the City and Guilds of London Institute. Classes in 

 pottery and porcelain manufacture have been arranged 

 at Burslem, Hanlev, Longton, Stoke, and Tunstall. 

 Boot and shoe manufacture, silk manufacture, hor- 

 ticultural and smaller agricultural industries are each 

 to be taught in suitable centres. The directory also 

 gives particulars of the numerous scholarships awarded 

 by the committee, the holiday courses arranged, and 

 the steps taken to provide suitable technological in- 

 struction in the rural districts. 



Particulars have been issued by the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society with reference to the examinations 

 for the national diploma in horticulture, which, so far 

 as possible, will be held in the latter part of June of 

 each year. The scheme, which has been approved by 

 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, sets forth 

 that candidates for the diploma must (a) register them- 

 selves with the society, and (b) pass two examinations, 

 a preliminary and a final. The examinations are open 

 to both men and women. The preliminary examina- 

 tion will be based upon the general principles of plant- 

 growing, an elementary knowledge of botany, chem- 

 istry, and physics, so far as acquaintance with these 

 subjects is essential to an understanding of garden 

 practice. Care will be taken to ascertain that the 

 candidate is able to perform the operation of garden- 

 ing with proper skill, and also that he understands 

 the reasons for the methods employed. The syllabus 

 for the final examination will be divided into sections 

 each dealing- with one particular branch of horticul- 

 ture. Candidates may enter for the branch in which 

 they feel themselves most proficient. All particulars, 

 forms, &-c, may be obtained from the secretary of the 

 Roval Horticultural Society, Vincent Square, S.W. 



The calendar of the Royal Technical College, Glas- 

 gow, for the coming session contains details of the 

 scheme affiliating the college to the University of 



