EWART, James Cossar, British zoologist: b. Penicuik, near Edinburgh, 26 Nov. 1851. He was educated at Edinburgh University, where he graduated M.D., and was appointed demon strator of anatomy 1874. In '875 he became conservator of the museum, University College, London; in 1878 professor of natural history, Aberdeen University; and in 1882 professor of the same, Edinburgh University, when he was also appointed member of the Scottish Fishery Board. In London he made researches into the bacillus of splenic fever, etc, and at Aberdeen founded the first marine laboratory in Britain, where, with the late Dr. Romanes, he made researches into the locomotor system of the echinoderms, which was the subject of the Croonian lecture of the Royal Society 1881. He conducts the fishery investigations into the fer tilization and life history of the herring, white bait and other food-fishes and directs a large corps of assistants in the work at various sta tions. He established lectureships in his uni
versity in embryology and the philosophy of natural history and organized, for the students, a union. At Penicuik he has conducted the costly experiments, with which his name is widely known, into the development of the horse, and hybridizing of equine species, in cluding the quagga, zebra and island pony, in different ways; and disproved the hoary theory as to the influence of previous impregnation (telegony). Among his publications are Electric Organs of Skate' (1888-89) ;(The Cranial Nerves and Lateral Sense Organs of Elasmobranchs> (1889) ; (The Development of the Horse> (1894) ; and (1887) ; 'A Critical Period in the Development of the Horse> (1889) ; (Guide to Hybrids> (1900) ; Multiple Origin of Horses and Ponies) (1904) ; (Horse Skulls from the Ro man Fort, near Melrose> (1906) ; a Prej valsky Hybrid) (1907).