72 The Ottawa Naturalist. [July 



OBITUARY. 



On May 23rd, 1911, Dr. Robert Wheelock Ells passed away 

 at his home in this city, after a week's illness. In his death 

 Canada loses one of her best known and ablest scientists, and 

 the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club one of its most prominent 

 members. Although failing health prevented his taking an 

 active part in the Club's work for the past few years, he formerly 

 gave it hearty support both in the lecture course and in the field 

 excursions. 



"The late Dr. Ells was descended from U.E.L. ancestors 

 who came to Nova Scotia in 1761. He was born at Cornwallis, 

 N.S., in 1845 and was educated at Horten Academy, at Acadia 

 University and at McGill University from which he graduated 

 in 1872 with first class honors and Logan gold medal in Geology 

 and Natural History. He married in 1873, Miss Harriet N. 

 Stevens, of Onslow, N.S. Joining the staff of the Canadian 

 Geological Survey in 1872, he has since been constantly engaged 

 in geological work in that branch of the service." 



Dr. Ells was a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a 

 fellow of the Geological Society of America, and a member of 

 the Canadian Mining Institute. He was president of the Ottawa 

 Field- Naturalists' Club for three successive years, beginning in 

 1898, and also president of the Literary and Scientific Society. 

 Dr. Ells had also been president of the Ottawa Valley Graduates' 

 Society of McGill University, and for a number of years past had 

 held the position of representative fellow for the Province of 

 Ontario on the corporation of McGill University. He has 

 written many official reports on the geology and mineral re- 

 sources of Canada, embracing almost every province from Nova 

 Scotia to -British Columbia. These reports were published by 

 the Geological Survey of Canada, and were usually accompanied 

 bv illustrative iruips, the surveys and data for their compilation 

 being largely made^nd collected by himself. 



In addition, he. ri^.s written various papers on geology and 

 kindred subjects which'- have appeared in The Ottawa Na- 

 turalist, the Transaction^ of the Royal Society of Canada and 

 other scientific publication:' "He was perhaps best known in 

 recent years for his work in 'connection with the problem of the 

 utilization of the Oil Shales pi Eastern Canada. It was indeed 

 largely through his efforts th; a t attention was first called to the 

 great value of these deposits ^nd his memoir published in 1910 

 is the standard work on this subject." 



Personally, Dr. Ells was highly esteemed by all who had 

 the pleasure of his acquaintance; lie was a true friend and his 

 kindlv genial j>re^^iie will be -much missed bv all his associates. 



W. J. W. 



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