ON ZOOLOGY ORGANISATION. 263 
factor, which suggests an analogy with the case of ‘notch’ wing in Drosophila. 
The experiments will be continued. 
Abraxas grossulariata vars. lacticolor and varleyata.—These experiments have 
been considerably extended, and it is hoped to carry them farther. The dis- 
tribution of the sexes appears to agree with the suggestion made last year. 
As was expected, moreover, anomalous sex-ratios have been observed in the 
erosses grossulariataxvarleyata, grossulariataxlacticolor, and grossulariatax 
 exquisita, when the female parent is grossulariata and heterozygous for both 
varleyata and lacticolor. A full report will appear in the Journal of Genetics. 
Zoology Oréganisation.—eport of Committee, appointed to 
summon meetings in London or elsewhere for consideration of 
matters affecting the interests of Zoology, etc. (Professor S. J. 
Hickson, Chairman; Dr. W. M. Tarrersaty, Secretary; Pro- 
fessors G. C. Bourne, A. Denpy, J. Sranuey GARDINER, 
W. GarsranG, Marcus Harroa, W. A. HrerpmMan, J. GRAHAM 
Kerr, Mr. R. D. Lavurim, Professors HE. W. MacBripg and A. 
Meex, Dr. P. CHatmers MitcHett, and Professor E. B. 
PouuTon). 
MEMORANDUM ON THE TEACHING OF NATURAL HISTORY 
IN SCHOOLS. 
PREPARED BY THE ZOOLOGY ORGANISATION COMMITTEE AT THE REQUEST 
OF THE COMMITTEE OF SEcTIon D. 
“Make the boy interested in Natural History if you can; it is better 
than games; they encourage it in some schools.’—(Last words of 
Captain R. F. Scott, Antarctic explorer.) 
It does not need any profound investigation of the various Matriculation and 
School-leaving Examinations to be convinced that the great majority of our 
boys and girls when they leave school at the age of seventeen or eighteen years 
are almost entirely devoid of any sound knowledge of the structure and 
physiology of the animal body or the elementary principles of the science of 
animal life. } 
It is true that in ordinary conversation they will use such words as brain, 
heart, liver, or kidneys as if they were familiar with their meaning. They will 
talk about the birds, the fishes, the reptiles, or even the worms and corals, as 
things they know something about in a general way, and in the course of time 
they will gather some information from various sources concerning all these 
hings, which enables them to pass muster as educated men and women. 
But what the schoolmasters, as a rule, do not realise, and educational 
authorities invariably do not realise, is that boys and girls have not been given 
the educational opportunity they need to enable them to gain an intelligent 
interest in their own bodies and in the animate world with which they come 
into daily contact. 
_ The tragic events of the last six years have brought home to the minds of 
most educated persons the national importance of scientific training and research, 
and an effort has been made to remove, to some extent, our national neglect of 
Science. There has been a larger endowment for scientific research, new 
laboratories have been built and old laboratories enlarged for the study of 
Chemistry, Engineering, Agriculture, and other Sciences in our Universities, 
and in many of the schools a little more encouragement is given now to the boys 
and girls who ‘take the modern side’ than before the War. But as regards 
the teaching of Natural History and the animal side of Biology there has been 
