TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 109 



sonably regarded either as the fruit of a devotion to or as a preliminaiy to success 

 in natural science. Of this I will speak in the words of Helmholtz, taking those 

 words from a report of them as spoken at the meeting of the German Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, which was held last year at Innsbruck. There 

 Professor Helmholtz, in speaking of the distinctive characteristics of German 

 scientific men, and of their truthfulness in particular, is reported to have used the 

 following words : — " Es hat diesen Vorzug auch wesentlich zu verdanken der Sitten- 

 strenge \md der uneigennutzige Begeisterung welche die Manner der Wissenschaft 

 beherrscht und beseelt hat, imd welche sie nicht gekehrt hat an aussere Vortheile 

 und gesellschaftliche Meinungen." These words are, I think, to the effect that the 

 characteristics in question are in reality to be ascribed to the severe simplicity of 

 manners and to the absence of a spirit of self-seeking[-which. form the guiding and 

 inspiring principles of their men of science, and prevent them from giving them- 

 selves up to the pursuit of mere worldly advantages, and from paying undue homage 

 to the prejudices of society. I think Sittenstrenge may be considered as more or 

 less adequately rendered by the words severe simplicity of manners ; at any rate, as 

 things are known by their opposites, let me say that it is the exact contradictory 

 of that ^^ profound idleness and luxuriousness " which, we are told by an excellent 

 authority (the Rev. Mark Pattison, " Suggestions on Academic Organization," 

 p. 241), — for whose accuracy I would vouch in this matter were there any need so to 

 do, — " hare corrupted the nature'^ of a large class of young men amongst ourselves ; 

 whilst the absence of a spirit of self-seeking is, in its turn, the contradictory of a cer- 

 tain character which Mr. Mill (/. c. p. 90) has said to be one of the commonest 

 amongst us adults, and to which Mr. Matthew Ai-nold has assigned the very con- 

 venient epithet of " Philistine." Investigation as to whether these undesirable 

 tendencies are really becoming more rife amongst us, might be carried on with 

 advantage in a place such as this, in the way of inquiries addi-essed to colonists 

 returning home after a successful sojourn abroad. Such persons are able to note 

 differences without prejudice, and, ex hi/pothesi, with unjaundiced eyes, which we 

 are apt to overlook, as they may have grown up gradually and slowly. But, per- 

 haps, researches of this kind are not quite precisely the particular kind of investi- 

 gation with which we should busy ourselves ; neither would the leaders of fashion, 

 the persons with whom all the responsibility for this illimitable mischief rests, be 

 very likely to listen to any statistics of ours, their ears being filled with very dif- 

 ferent sounds from any that, as I hope, will ever come from Section D. Whether 

 men of science in England are more or less amenable to blame in this matter than 

 the rest of their countrymen, it does not become us to say ; but it does become and 

 concern us to recoUect that we have particular and special reasons, and those not 

 far to seek, nor dependent on authority alone, for believing and acting upon the be- 

 lief that real success in our course of life is incompatible with a spiiit of self-seek- 

 ing and with habits of even refined self-indulgence. 



BoTAur AND ZOOLOGT. 



On the Effects of the Pollution of Rivers on the Supply of Fish. 

 By Colonel Sir James Alexandek, K.C'.L.S. 



Note on the Changes produced in Lotus corniculatus hy Ctdtivation. 

 By Prof. T. C. Aecher, F.B.S.E. 



During a late visit to the Shetland Islands, my attention was called to a singu- 

 lar transformation produced by giving greenhouse cultivation to the hardy and 

 beautiful Lotus corniculatus so common in our fields. 



One of the most a^eeable spots in the Shetland Islands is that on which the 

 interesting garden and hospitable mansion of Miss Mowatt is situate on the south 

 side of the island of Bressay. The garden is especially interesting; for in it the 



