J UNE 20, 1907J 



NA TURE 



until 1882. On the value of this work (completed by 

 Mr. Howard Saund^■r^) it is unnecessary to dilate. 



N'ot less important were the contributions of New- 

 Ion to the ninth edition of the " Encyclopaedia Britan- 

 nica," these comprising not only a large series of 

 articles on different groups and species of birds, but 

 likewise the article "Ornithology"; the article 

 " Biids," it should be added, being- the joint work of 

 Newton and the late I'rof. W. K. Parker. With the 

 assistance of Prof. H. (iadow, these articles were 

 sub.-cquenlh' combined by their author to form the 

 well-known " Diclion.iry of Birds " (1893-1896), which 

 forms a perfect mine 01 information on ornithologic;il 

 •'•ubjerts. To this work a few articles were contri- 

 buted by Dr. K. W. Shufeldt, Mr. C. .S. Roy, and 

 the present writer (by whom it was deemed a special 

 honour to be thus associated with his former teacher). 

 The article "Ornithology," which forms the intro- 

 duction to this volume, is a perfect model of a classi- 

 callv written essay, and includes practically everything 

 that there is to be said regarding the history of the 

 subject of which it treats; while the one on " Migra- 

 tion " is no less important and philosophical. 



.-\s regards the other ornithological work of Newton, 

 it must suffice to refer to a chapter on the ornithol',!s.'\ 

 of Iceland, issued as an appendix to .S. Baring- 

 Gould's "Iceland" (18(13), '" ^^"^ "'^ ^'^^ birds of 

 Greenland in the " .\rclic .Manual" (1875), and to a 

 list of the birds of Jam.aica in a handbook to that 

 island, published in 1881. 



To assume that Newton confined his attention to 

 ornithology would, however, give but an inadequate 

 idea of the scope of his knowledge. From the first 

 he was an enthusiastic student of zoological distribu- 

 tion, and in 1862 he read before the Cambridge 

 Philosophical Society ;i paper " On the Zoology of 

 .■\ncient Europe," published the same year as a pam- 

 phlet by Messrs. Macmillan. In this he directed atten- 

 tion, for the first time, we believe, in this country, 

 to the fact that the name " aurochs " belongs by 

 right to the e.xtinct wild ox {Bos primigeniits), and 

 not to the bison. His studies had also convinced him 

 that the separation of the northern portions of the two 

 hemispheres as distinct primary zoological regions — the 

 Palajarctic and the N(-arctic — is not supported by the 

 facts; and at his suggestion Prof. A. Heilprin in 1882 

 proposed to unite them under the name of the Hol- 

 arctic. That this is the true view (especially if the 

 southern portions of the eastern and western divisions 

 be severally cut off as the .Sonoran and Mediterranean 

 transitional regions) scarcely admits of argument. A 

 small zoological text-book, of which the first edition 

 appeared in 1874, likewise bears witness to the 

 breadth of Newton's knowledge. 



Although essentiallv conservative in all matters con- 

 nected with natural history. Newton could not be 

 termed a bigoted Torv in these matters; and when he 

 saw occasion to change or modify his views, he had no 

 compimction in doing so. He was an early convert 

 to evolution, and in 1888 published a pamphlet en- 

 titled " Earlv Days of Darwinism "; and as evidence 

 of the elasticitv of his mind in reeard to lines of 

 investigation with which he was personally out of 

 touch, reference may be m.ade to his earnest support 

 of the morpholot^ical and embryological investigations 

 of the late F. M. Balfour, and of the Mendelian re- 

 searches of the present day. As regards ornithological 

 classification, he maintained to the last the advisability 

 of employing generic terms in a wide sense. Whether 

 he would ever have given his approval to modern 

 views on nomenclature .and the subdivision of species 

 are questions which need not here be discussed. 



The late professor, to quote from the obituary 

 notice in the Timcx of June 8, " was gifted 



NO. 1964, VOL 76I 



» .Mlianre l''ranco-Britannique 

 from June .^o to July 5. and 

 •r bv the British section on 



with an affectionate nature, which was not 

 the less real because it found little verbal 

 expression, and, possessed of old-fashioned courtesy 

 of manner, he had the best characteristics of the race 

 of English country gentlemen to which by birth he 

 belonged. Stanch in his friendships, firm in his 

 opinions, and following what he held to be right with 

 dogged perseverance, he was a man of whom anyone 

 might well be proud to be the friend, and one whom 

 a verv wide circle is now most genuinely mourning." 

 To the present writer, if he may be allowed to sav 

 so, the loss is a verv real one — more so than he cares 

 to state fully in public. R. L. 



NOTES. 

 We regret to announce that Prof. .-\. S. Herschel, F.R.S., 

 died on Tuesday, June iS, at his residence. Observatory 

 House, Slough. 



Trn; French section of ihi 

 will pay a visit 10 London 

 will be entertained :il dinnc 

 July .. 



TirR third Prehistoric Congress of France will be opened 

 at .\utun on .August 12 by the president. Prof. Adrien 

 CiK^'bhard, and will c'cse on .August iS. Particulars may 

 be obtained from M. Marcel Baudoin, 21 rue Linne, Paris. 



Four lectures on plague are being delivered by Dr. 

 W. J. R. Simpson as the Croonian lectures of the Royal 

 College of Physicians. The first lecture was delivered on 

 Tuesday, and the second is to be given to-day. The two 

 remaining lectures will be delivered on June 25 and 27. 



Science announces that at the recent session of the 

 Pennsylvania Legislature the Senate voted 6o,oooi. to 

 enable the American Philosophical Society to erect a 

 memorial to Franklin, but the house did not agree to 

 the Bin. 



Mr. W. T. Hornadav has presented to the New York 

 Zoological Society his collections of heads, herns, and 

 tusks, comprising 131 specimens, representing loS species. 

 These are Jo form the nucleus of a collection to be ex- 

 hibited at the New York Zoological Park. 



.•\ RECORT from Santiago de Chile stales that a severe 

 -.hock of earthquake occurred at N'aldivia on June 13. 

 .\ violent earthquake was also felt at Kingston, Jamaica, 

 rn the same date, at 1.20 a.m. The earthquake was 

 especially severe at Port Royal. A curious turbulence of 

 the sea was noticed. An earthquake was felt at Gibraltar 

 al 5 a.m. on June 16. 



TiiRouori the generosity of several members of the Pills- 

 bury family, of Minneapolis, Dr. I'homas G. Lee has 

 secured, .says Science, for the department of histology and 

 embryology, University of Minnesota, the working library 

 of the late Prof. W. His, of Leipzig. This collection com- 

 prises more than 8400 monographs and other papers con- 

 tributed by over 2500 different authors. 



An exhibition o. engineering models, optical, electrical, 

 and scientific instruments, technical education appliances, 

 and tools, is to be held at the Royal Horticultural Hall, 

 Vincent Square, Westminster, S.W., on October 22-26. 

 In addition to exhibits by leading makers, there will be 

 a loan collection of experimental and exhibition models 

 and apparatus, and also lectures and demonslrations in 

 various branches <-f applied science. 



