86 



NA TURE 



[July 15, 19: 



hope of recovery. Though broken in body, his courage 

 never left him, and with splendid bravery he devoted 

 to scientific work such as remained to him of life. 

 Special facilities for research led him to settle in Cam- 

 bridge, where he turned one of the rooms of his house 

 into a laboratory into which his couch could be wheeled. 

 Here he became a pioneer in establishing contact 

 between the two growing branches of biology — bio- 

 chemistry and genetics. Genetical research had 

 recently demonstrated the existence of two distinct 

 kinds of white in the coat of certain animals — one 

 dominant and the other recessive to colour, ft had 

 been surmised that in the former case the coat carried 

 something which inhibited the production of colour, 

 and that in the latter either the chromogen was absent, 

 or else some substance which activated it. Onslow's 

 chemical work took the question out of the realm of 

 speculation, and placed it on a solid ground of fact — 

 a notable contribution, which will be found in the 

 Proc. Roy. Soc, 1915. At the same time he was 

 carrying out extensive breeding-experiments with mice 

 and rabbits, both at Cambridge and Pyrford, which 

 helped materially in laying the foundation of a sound 

 genetical knowledge of coat-colour. But it was the 

 biochemical side that attracted him most, for he 

 realised that the geneticist could not go very deep 

 without the help of the chemist. He wished to 

 approach the problem from both sides, and, with this 

 end in view, started breeding-experiments with moths, 

 concerning himself chiefly with melanic forms as likely 

 to be of service for the chemical side of the inquiry. 

 The results were published in a series of papers on the 

 " fnheritance of Wing Colour in Lepidoptera," which 

 appeared in the Journal of Genetics, 1919-21. Mean- 

 while, he became interested in the brilliant iridescent 

 colours exhibited by many insects, and on this sub- 

 ject contributed last year an important paper to the 

 Philosophical Transactions. Full of fresh and suggest- 

 ive observations, it is pervaded by a critical power 

 of thinking, and a knowledge of the physics involved, 

 which must make it a landmark for future investigators 

 of an intricate and fascinating series of problems. 



And all this from an invalid couch, full of suffering, 

 and stricken beyond hope of recovery. Put fine as 

 is the achievement, finer still was the way in which 

 11 was won. With life seemingly w'recked at the very 

 start, his spirit rose above the physical crash, bravely 

 accepted what had to be, and created out of the ruins 

 a fresh life which was the wonder of those who knew 

 him. What he did, and what he was, will assure him 

 of that immortality that lives upon the lips of men ; 

 and with that we may 



" Leave him still loftier than the world suspects, 

 Living and dying." 



Dr. A. R. Willis. 



Many students will regret the death of Dr. Ambrose 

 Robinson Willis, at the age of seventy-two, on May 23 

 last. From 1872, when he entered the Royal School 

 of -Mines as a Royal Exhibitioner, until 191 1. when he 

 retired owing to ill-health from the Imperial College 

 of Science urn] Technology, he had been continuously 

 associated with the South Kensington institution. 



In 1875 he obtained the A.R.S.M. in mining, metal- 

 lurgy, and geology, the Duke of Cornwall's scholarship, 

 the Murchison medal and prize, and the Edward Forbes 

 medal and prize. The wide range of his studies is 

 indicated by the facts that in 1876 he obtained first- 

 class honours in zoology and chemistry at the London 

 B.Sc. ; in 1879, the London B.A. ; in 1881 the M.A., 

 and in 1883 the D.Sc. in mathematical physics. He 

 was made assistant-professor in mathematics and 

 mechanics at the Royal College of Science in 1884, 

 being associated first with Goodeve and later with 

 Perry. He also acted as examiner in mathematics 

 for the Universities of London and Manchester. 



It was as an instructor that Dr. Willis will be re- 

 membered, not only by old students of South Kensing- 

 ton, but by an enormously wider circle, in his capacity 

 as an examiner in mathematics to the Science and 

 Art Department and afterwards to the Board of 

 Education. With his fellow-examiners Twisden and 

 Wrigley, he exercised a tremendous influence for many 

 years on students of mathematics and mechanics in 

 all parts of the country. It was no small task virtually 

 to direct the studies of an army of men, the majority 

 with little time to spare from manual work, without 

 means and often without a teacher, and whose only 

 inspiration and incentive came from the desire to pass 

 the various Board of Education examinations. That 

 the duty was ably and wisely carried out will be 

 readily admitted, and by none more than by those 

 who, entering the Royal College of Science as ex- 

 hibitioners or scholars, came into personal contact 

 with the man who had done so much to direct their 

 earlier studies. 



Times have changed, and it is not so easy now to 

 bring home the realisation of what it meant to men 

 whose training had been on these lines, to attend Dr. 

 Willis's lectures and listen to his extraordinarily clear, 

 orderly, and inspiring exposition of mathematics. In 

 his prime few can have equalled him in this respect — 

 he radiated enthusiasm as he developed the argument, 

 and his triumph as the full power of the attack made 

 itself felt was delightful to see. Many hundreds of 

 science teachers will still remember wistfully Dr. 

 Willis's carefully prepared lectures in the short 

 " summer courses " for teachers, which were arranged 

 each year at South Kensington by the Board of Educa- 

 tion. 



Dr. Willis took a real personal interest in his students 

 and possessed the faculty of making the shyest of 

 men feel quite at ease with him. Many of his students 

 can testify to innumerable kindnesses unobtrusively 

 performed, and to his quiet support of any movement 

 which would activate the social side of the College's 

 work. His whole-hearted thoroughness, wide experi- 

 ence, geniality, North-country shrewdness, and sound 

 common sense were greatly appreciated in university 

 circles. His retirement in 191 1 was made the occasion 

 of a demonstration of affection and good-will from 

 hundreds of old students, and he then voiced the great 

 satisfaction that he felt to see so many of his old 

 students playing prominent parts in the scientific 

 world, not least in the development of aeronautics. 



A. R. R. 

 G. W. C. K. 



275O, VOL. I IO] 



