No. 3870, jANUARY 1, 1944 NATURE 15 the University of Edinburgh, previously held by a tragic death, and his successor, F. Hasenohrl, was Black. To him we owe the discovery of the maximum killed in action on the Italian front in 1915. The density of water. The centenary of John Dalton falls chemists born in 1844 include Prof. J. Emerson on July 27 of this year, but any commemoration Reynolds (died 1920), who occupied for twenty-eight must inevitably be clouded over by the results of years the chair of chemistry in the University of the air raid of December 24, 1940, when the premises Dublin, and Ferdinand Hurter (died 1898), a native of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, who came to England were completely destroyed. From 1817 until 1844 in 1867 and became principal chemist to the United DaJton was president of the Society, and within its Alkali Company. Among astronomers, Prof. W. R. walls he taught, lectured and experimented. The Brooks (died 1921) of the United States was famous Society had an unequalled collection of his apparatus, as a 'comet hunter'. Charles Trepied (died 1907) was but after digging among the ruins the only things for many years director of the Observatory at found were his gold watch, a spark eudiometer and Bouzariah, eleven kilometres from Algiers, while some charred remains of letters and note-books. A Annibale Ricco (died 1919), though he began life as month after Dalton passed away in Manchester, an engineer, for nineteen years directed the observa• Francis Baily died in London, after a life devoted to tory of Catania and Etna, his special subject being astronomy and kindred subjects. "Few men have solar physics. In another sphere of scientific activity, left behind them so enviable a reputation. He Henry Alleyne Nicholson (died 1899) held professor• was gentle as well as just ; he loved and sought ships at St. Andrews and Aberdeen, and was Lyell truth ; he inspired in an equal degree respect and medallist in 1888, while Auguste Michel-Levy (died affection." 19ll) was director of the Geological Survey of France. As is usual in these annual reviews of the centenaries A notice of the life and work of Michel-Levy was read of men of science, names of notable men born a at a sitting of the Paris Academy of Sciences on century ago crowd closely upon one another, but it December 21, 1914, under the shadow of war. The will perhaps be agreed that all those mentioned below opening sentences ran, "Aux heures les plus graves de have claims to recognition. Among the ranks of the notre histoire nationale, l'Academie des Sciences a physicists born in 1844 were Sir William F. Barrett toujours tenu a proclamer bien haut sa foi inebranlable (died 1925), who for more than thirty years held a dans les destinees de la Patrie en n'interrompant en chair in the Royal College of Science, Dublin ; Sir rien l'ordre regulier de ses travaux. C'est pourquoi, William Abney (died 1921), who did much to put alors que notre territoire est encore envahi par photography upon a scientific basis ; and Ludwig l'ennemi, l'un de vos Secretaires perpetuels vient, Boltzmann (died 1906), professor of mathematical comme de coutume, vous rappeler en cette seance physics in the University of Vienna. Boltzmann died annuelle le souvenir de l'un de nos confreres disparus."

OBITUARIES Sir Edward Poulton, F.R.S. three papers were published in 1883 on the tongues EDWARD BAGNALL PoULTON, who died on Novem• of several Australian animals, including Ornitho• ber 20, was born on January 27, 1856. His school life rhynchus. An investigation of the structure of the was spent at Oakley House, Reading, until he was hair of this primitive creature then followed, sections nearly seventeen, when he commenced work in the of the head of an immature specimen having been office of his father, who was an architect. His interest, lent by Dr. W. K. Parker. This resulted in a dis• however, was so obviously in science that he was covery of fundamental importance, for Poulton allowed to work for a scholarship, attending RoUes• announced in 1888 that Ornithorhynchus possesses ton's lectures at Oxford. He obtained an open true teeth which cut through the gums but are scholarship in science at Jesus College in 1873, and replaced by horny plates. after a crowded three years took a first class in the But although he was professionally occupied with honour school of natural science. Next year he was morphology, Poulton's real interest was in living appointed demonstrator in zoology under Rolleston, insects. Such entomological studies as he saw being whose virile personality greatly impressed him. But conducted by Westwood at Oxford did not, however, working as one of his staff under him was a very appeal to him, for they were concerned mainly with different thing from being one of his students, and systematics. Poulton had read Wallace's essays on Poulton could do little research. During the long natural selection in 1878, and these aroused what he vacation, however, he was inspired by Foster and described as "a lifelong delight" in the subject of Balfour's work on embryology to follow their methods, the coloration of animals, particularly of insects. and as a result was given a class to teach in that Weismann's studies in the theory of descent, of which subject. His income being inadequate, he studied he read in 1883 a translation by his friend R. Meldola, for a University scholarship in geology under Prest• contained an account of variation in the colour of a wich, eventually obtaining the Burdett-Coutts caterpillar according to its surroundings, which Scholarship. Thus it came about that, having resigned especially interested Poulton, as it recalled observa• his demonstratorship, his first research was conducted tions he had made in boyhood upon that very species. on a geological subject, and his first paper was pub• He began to work at once on that subject, and, lished in 1880 on remains in quaternary sands at amidst his morphological work, produced during Reading. 1884-88 a succession of papers on the colours of Rolleston was succeeded by Moseley in 1881 and larva; and pupa; and on experiments to test the Poulton, by now lecturer at Keble and Jesus Colleges, factors influencing them, and their survival value. found him as helpful as Rolleston had been difficult. These researches led to his election to the Royal Moseley suggested that he should investigate some Society in 1889, and in 1890 his great work "The Challenger material, and as a result of his studies Colours of Animals" at once set him in the front

© 1944 Nature Publishing Group 16 NATURE jANUARY 1, 1944, VoL. 153 rank of upholders of natural selection, and until The importance of the fact that 'edibility' is rela• recently held the field as a comprehensive guide to tive, and merely a function of abundance, is frequently the meaning of all forms of coloration. He became overlooked by critics. This point was emphasized by known as an ardent champion of pure Darwinism, Poulton. The value of mimicry closely depends upon finding in it a satisfying explanation of countless geographical distribution, and studies made by phenomena of colour and habits which, he always Poulton and his associates have shown that in such emphasized, must be studied and explained together. remarkable polymorphic species as Papilio dardanus He first read "The Origin of Species" in 187 5 as an and Pseudacraea eurytus, the prevsexual selection, and Poulton's influence resulted untrue to say 'Natura non fecit saltum' but that it in important discoveries of structures used to produce is doubtful if she ever does anything else. Partly, scent in courtship, and of hahits displaying special perhaps, for this reason and partly because mathe• colours before the female. The extraordinary be• matics were as incomprehensible to him as to the haviour of certain male flies (Empididee), closely master he served, he was never attracted by genetics, studied by one of his assistants, was shown to con• though heredity greatly interested him, and he took stitute a complete evolutionary series in the develop• much interest in eugenics. ment of an elaborate courtship. The death of Westwood left vacant the recently All this involved immense labour in correspondence, founded chair of Hope professor of zoology at Oxford, but there was also the care of the great collections and Poulton was elected to it in I 893 : there could which grew embarrassingly, so that it became heyond scarcely have been a greater change. Westwood had his power to attend to every detail himself, and he been mainly occupied in the prevalent mode of add• was very insistent upon detail ; thus to anyone but ing to knowledge by describing new species and Poulton himself there seemed to be considerable con• classifying them. In this he won world renown, but fusion. He paid particular attention to making he did not move with the times, and warned Poulton a label tell the whole story of a specimen, so against the dangers of the new doctrine. It was an that Rope Department labels are recognized irony that the young man so warned became one of to be the most informative in any collection its most forceful exponents. One of the first applica• in the world. But his passion for making the title tions of Darwinism to problems of field natural of a communication summarize all the contents often history was the theory of mimicry, propounded by proves a trial to bibliographers. Bates in 1862, which explained the deceptive, super• After his retirement in 1933, Poulton's friends ficial resemblance of one species of butterfly to an• hoped that, freed from the care of the department other better protected by unpleasant qualities against which he had made renowned, Poulton would settle the attacks of predators. Mimicry became one of down to the production of his magnum opus, but Poulton's chief subjects, and all that he and his this was not to be. He was unable to shake himself friends did to make known the extent of the phe• free from the toils of correspondence ; his powers nomena convinced him that no explanation covers weakened, his memory began to fail, and kindly all the facts so well as natural selection. Critics have death took him peacefully while he was still happy not always troubled to understand thoroughly the and interested. problems involved in minicry, and it is a pity that His distinctions were many. He served on the the logical terms which Sidgwick devised for Poulton Council of the Royal Society during 1897-99 and ("pseudaposematic" and "synaposematic") are not 1908-10; was vice-president during 1909-10 and more generally used. If these types of coloration are Darwin medallist in 1914. He presided over the due to selective preferences of predators, then up• Linnean Society during 1912-16 and was Linnean holders of the theory must produce evidence, and medallist in 1922. When the second International Poulton continually urged naturalists to observe and Entomological Congress met at Oxford in 1912, he experiment in the field. A large body of facts has was its president; in 1915 he gave the Romanes thus been accumulated, but it is not unfair to say Lecture. He thrice presided over the Entomological that Poulton was not statistically minded ; and most Society, the last occasion being at the centenary of the records, while adding more and more instances meeting in 1933, at which it became a Royal Society. of observed cases, are not satisfying to the inquirer Several universities, at home or abroad, conferred into "How much better?" or "How much more often?" honorary doctorates upon him, and he was an It was one of Poulton's correspondents who first honorary member or correspondent of many learned showed that, when a bird attacks a butterfly and societies. releases it, the shape of the bill is recognizably im• Friendly, affectionate and uncompromisingly truth• printed upon the wing, and much work on this sub• ful, he was a great believer in intercourse and a ject has been done which goes to show that birds are habitual attendant at the British Association meet• probably the selective agents which theory requires ings, at which he presided in 1937 and with which for the production of mimicry in butterflies. On the he went to South Africa and Australia. He also other hand, if vertebrates avoid certain species as visited North America, and everywhere established relatively distasteful, it is possible that these are links of closest friendship. He married in 1881 Emily, destroyed by insect predators, and this point was daughter of George Palmer, formerly M.P. for Read• also urged by Poulton, and evidence shows that this ing, who predeceased him. They had two sons and is so. three daughters, of whom only Mrs. Maxwell Garnett

© 1944 Nature Publishing Group No. 3870, jANUARY 1, 1944 NATURE 17

survives him. There are thirteen grandchildren and in 1912-24, with the assistance of other ornithologists, three great-grandehildren to carry on his memory. a "Practical Handbook of British Birds". When By the de:>th of Sir Edward Poulton, natural his• these volumes became out of print he published tory, as Darwin taught it, has lost a master. He will during 1938-41 a more ambitious work, the "Hand• long be rememhereleaves a gap in the students of British ornithology Together with the late Dr. C. B. Ticehurst he did which will be di ificult to replace. He was the second much to elucidate the moults and ·sequence of surviving son of Henry Forbes Witherby of Burley, plumage of our native birds-indeed it might be Rants, and was born on October 7, 1873. After said of European species also. It was Witherby who leaving school he entered the old family publishing cle'1red up the long-disputed question as to how the firm of Witherby and Co., and some ye:trs ago retired, rook developed its bare face, and in an article in but resumed work again after the outbreak of war. British Birds proved it was a matter of age, not wear. Although a successful business man, the study of Witherby was a very careful and painstaking worker, birds was Witherby's main interest in life, and for and would take an enormous amount of trouble before this purpose he made many trips abroad in search admitting a new species to the British list, or a of birds. He was specially interested in Spanish record of a rare visitor. The late Dr. Hartert may ornithology, and contributed several papers on this be said to have introduced the trinomial system into subject to the Ibis. Early in his career Witherby ornithology in Great Britain, and Witherby was one became interested in migration, and with the object of the first to appreciate the importance of this step. of studying this phenomena visited many well-known As editor of British Birds, Witherby occupied a localities on the east coast, and in 1938 even unique position in the study of our native birds, and venturing to Fair Isle. he will be sadly missed by his many friends and In l9J9 he started the 'British Birds' ringing correspondents ; to beginners he was especially help• scheme, which from a sni'1ll beginning has grown ful and encouraging. During 1924-27 he was chairman to be of national importance and is now carried on of the British Ornithologists' Club, and president of from the British Museum under the auspices of the the British Ornithologists' Union durirg 1933-38. On British Trust for Ornithology. In 1907 he fOtmded his retirement he was awarded the Godman-Salvin British Birds magazine, and this soon brought him Medal for his work on ornithology. in touch with all those interested in the study of In 1904 he married Lilian, daughter of the Rev. S. birds in these islands. With the help of others he Gillson, and leaves two sons and three daughters. published a "Handlist of British Birds" in 1912, and N. B. KINNEAR.

NEWS and VIEWS Secondary Education in Great Britain and eighteen should be inspected by the Board of THE valuable statement "The Open Door in Education at intervals of not more than five years. Secondary Education", issued by the members of All private schools which have not yet been formally the Education Sub-Committee of Nuifield College recognized should oe required to obtain from the Social Reconstruction Survey, does full justice to the Board a certificate of efficiency : but no school should twin aims of educational reform: m'1intenance of the be closed by the Board of Education without the quality of the education provided, while making sure right of appeal to an independent tribunal. One that opportunities at present the privilege of a member of the Committee, Sir Richard Livingstone, minority become the heritage of the nation. Its six regards this proposal as too drastic and open to recommendations are accomp'1nied by a brief survey abuse. and would tackle the evil of the undesirable which indicates the rapidity with which opinion has school by giving a certificate to schools which sub• advanced in this field. First, the Statement recom• mit to voluntary inspection and are approved, or mends that in all schools which receive any grants by refusing anyone leave to teach who does not from the State or from local education authorities, hold a university degree or has not attended an tuition should be free and adequate maintenance approved course for training in teaching. grants should be given. Secondly, the scales on which The Statement then recommends that the school grants are made to schools should vary according to grants committee and the local education authorities the education they provide, especially in equipment, should be empowered to make grants to children to staffing ratio and opportunities for advanced work. enable them to pass from schools under their juris• To deal with the allocation of grants and with the diction to independent private schools if they secure question of control involved in this second recom• places in them. Maximum gi'ants should be fixed mend:ttion, establishment by the Board of Education by the school grants committee. Finally, such grants of a school grants central committee on the lines of should only be made to children entering schools the University Grants Committee is proposed, assisted which observe the following conditions to the satis• by a small number of regional committees. faction of the Board of Education: (a) that to the All schools for children between the ages of eleven extent of their normal numbers they admit children

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