68 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



collecting objects of antiquarian interest, including coins ; and 

 many years ago he published a paper on the subject. 



He extended his studies to the Zoology and Geology of 

 the north of Scotland. The results in Zoology he published 

 at intervals in the " Zoologist," in which, besides numerous 

 short notes, we meet with the following longer articles on the 

 fauna of Moray from his pen, the volume, and the number 

 of pages in each of which papers are indicated in the 

 brackets: "Mammalia" (ii. pp. 421-428); "Birds" (ii. pp. 

 502-515,551); " Reptiles " (ii. p. 55 i) ; " A List of Fishes 

 that have been found in the Moray Firth and in the Fresh 

 Waters of the Province of Moray" (x. pp. 3454-62, 3480- 

 89) ; "List of the Crustaceans of the Moray Firth" (x. pp. 

 3678-87) ; " List of the Echinodermata hitherto met with in 

 the Moray Firth" (xi. pp. 3781-85); "List of the Mollusca 

 hitherto found in the Province of Moray and in the Moray 

 Firth" (xii. pp. 4300-18, 4421-35, 4453-62); "List of 

 Lepicloptera hitherto found within the Province of Moray " 

 (xix. pp. 7663-75). 



He also took a great interest in the success of the 

 " Scottish Naturalist," and contributed to its pages, usually 

 on zoological subjects. In the " Lepidoptera of Scotland," 

 compiled by Dr. White, and in the " Coleoptera of Scotland," 

 compiled by Dr. D. Sharp (both commenced in 1872, and 

 continued during several years), Dr. Gordon's name appears 

 as having contributed information from Moray. In October 

 1887 appeared a paper by him on the Hymenoptera (but 

 chiefly the genus Boinbus] of the province of Moray. 



But valuable as were Dr. Gordon's researches in throw- 

 ing licfht on the flora and fauna of the north of Scotland, his 



o o 



interest in the Geology of his native land was no less strong ; 

 and the results of his labours were even more striking, and 

 are probably more widely kno\vn. 



Not long after he settled in Birnie, he was drawn into 

 the study by Dr. John Malcolmson, then home from India, 

 where he had studied Geology in the field. Dr. Malcolmson 

 was shown by Hugh Miller the bed at Cromarty in which 

 occur the fossil remains of the Old Red Sandstone fishes. 

 It had been assumed that the sandstones of Moray were not 

 fossiliferous ; but after his visit to Cromarty Dr. Malcolmson 



