928 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XX. No. 522. 



certain of the developments connected with 

 the natural and exact sciences. — The Popular 

 Science Monthly. 



COMPULSORY GREEK AT OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE. 



The discussion of the ' Greek question ' by 

 the resident members of Oxford and Cam- 

 bridge has disclosed so many contradictory 

 views that the average member of Convoca- 

 tion, in despair of definite guidance, may feel 

 inclined to leave things as they are till the 

 experts have made up their minds as to what 

 they want, and why they want it. The 

 limited proposals before ' Congregation ' at 

 Oxford were criticized partly because they 

 went too far, partly for not going far enough 

 — the latter, as we gather, being the view of 

 their most formidable opponent. Sir William 

 Anson, as it was of many half-hearted sup- 

 porters. With all respect, indeed, to the 

 weighty authority of the Cambridge Professor 

 of Greek, Sir Eichard Jebb, we can not follow 

 his argument that the adverse vote at Oxford 

 on a smaller proposal made it highly improb- 

 able that, whatever Cambridge might do, Ox- 

 ford would consent to make Greek optional 

 for all candidates for a degree. On the con- 

 trary, we are inclined to think that a bolder 

 and more comprehensive proposal would have 

 had a better chance at Oxford than one which 

 raised a great and far-reaching question upon 

 a comparatively small issue; and that Cam- 

 bridge, if she goes full steam ahead, need not 

 fear being left in the lurch by Oxford, with the 

 result that, as Sir Richard Jebb seemed to 

 fear, the University which retains more Greek 

 will attract the ablest literary talent. The 

 Master of Trinity, Dr. Montague Butler, a 

 classical scholar of the first rank and a teacher 

 of proved experience, regards such gloomy 

 forecasts as baseless, and wholly dissents from 

 Sir Richard Jebb's view that to make Greek 

 optional would be a serious blow to the inter- 

 ests of the highest liberal education in Eng- 

 land and throughout the empire. Who, in- 

 deed shall decide when such doctors disagree? 

 It is evident, too, from the debates at either 

 university that many who advocate the change 

 do so in the interest of the same liberal edu- 

 cation which its opponents think will be im- 



perilled. , They foresee danger if the univer- 

 sities continue to stand too fixedly upon the 

 old ways, making no attempt to readjust their 

 requirements to new conditions and to en- 

 larged views of what constitutes a liberal edu- 

 cation. — The London Times. 



NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY. 

 Professor A. P. Morse has published the 

 first entomological paper under the Carnegie 

 Institution of Washington.* The greater 

 part of the work is occupied by a list of 

 the species taken (ninety in number), with 

 notes on occurrence, habits, variations, etc. 

 Before this systematic list there is some very 

 interesting ethological matter comprising a 

 classification of grasshoppers according to 

 habitat, and an explanation of brachypterism 

 in orthoptera. The classification by habitat 

 is first into geophilous and phytophilous divi- 

 sions, each divided into campestrian and syl- 

 van groups, and the campestrian into xero- 

 phile and hydrophile societies. He finds an 

 explanation of brachypterism in the fact that 

 these species ' dwell in an environment of 

 more or less dense, intricate, interlacing 

 vegetal growth, * * * or in burrows, crevices, 

 etc' The excellent plates illustrate- the hab- 

 itats of various species. 



Dr. E. W. Hoffmann has published a very 

 interesting article on the morphology and 

 physiology of certain parts of springtails.f 

 He has studied particularly the structure and 

 histology of the ventral tube of these tiny 

 creatures; an organ not found elsewhere in 

 insects, and whose function has never been 

 well understood. Some have believed it to be 

 an organ of generation, others considered it a 

 breathing organ, or an organ to take up water, 

 others thought it an organ of secretion, and 

 still others as used to hold the end of the 

 furcula. Many, however, have thought it was 



* ' Researches on North American Acridiidse.' 

 Publ. no. 18, Carnegie Inst. Wash., Oct., 1904, pp. 

 55, 8 pis., 13 text figures. 



t ' Uber den Ventraltubus von Tomocerus plum- 

 heus L. und seine Beziehungen zu den grossen 

 miteren Kofdrusen. Ein Beitrag zur Kenntniss 

 der Collembolen.' Zool. Ann., XXVIII.. 1904, pp. 

 87-116. 



