4.6 The Scottish Naturalist. 



qualified to avail themselves of the opportunities at their command 

 for research in these unexplored regions. This feeling led, in 

 1872, to the "Challenger" being thoroughly fitted out, and de- 

 spatched on a voyage round the world, with Dr. Thomson in 

 charge of the scientific staff. The voyage lasted for three years, 

 during which Professor Huxley acted as Dr. Thomson's substitute 

 in Edinburgh. 



The " Challenger " brought back to England large stores of 

 material for future examination, (distributed to numerous speci- 

 alists at home and abroad), which, when fully wrought out, must 

 add very largely to all that was previously known concerning the 

 ocean-bed. Several volumes of the " Challenger Reports " have 

 already appeared. 



On his return home Dr. Thomson was knighted, and one of the 

 gold medals of the Royal Society of London was conferred on 

 him. His health, after his return, was broken; and in 1879 he 

 became paralysed, and was unable to conduct the work of his 

 class, or to take part in the preparation of the Reports of the 

 " Challenger Expedition," except occasionally. He was a mem- 

 ber of several scientific societies ; among these were the Royal 

 Societies of London and of Edinburgh, the Linnean, and the 

 Geological Societies. 



William A. Forbes, though hardly a Scottish zoologist, may 

 yet be included among such, as he studied medicine for some 

 time in the University of Edinburgh, and published some short 

 articles on the fauna of Scotland. 



He was the second son of Mr. J. S. Forbes, the railway-director ; 

 and was born at Cheltenham, in 1855. From childhood he 

 showed a great love for zoology. He was educated at Kensington 

 School, and thereafter at Winchester till 17 years of age, when 

 he spent a year at Aix-la-Chapelle, in order to learn German. He 

 next became a student of medicine at Edinburgh, and spent two 

 years there. In 1875 he went to London University to complete 

 his medical studies, but next year changed his plans, and entered 

 on the study of Natural Science in Cambridge University, where 

 he graduated B.A. in 1879, taking a First Class in the Natural 

 Sciences. In January, 1880, he was appointed to succeed Pro- 

 fessor Garrod as Prosecutor to the Zoological Society of London, a 

 position in which he proved himself to possess abilities of a very 

 high order. He was also Lecturer in Comparative Anatomy in 

 Charing Cross Hospital in London. 



His vacations were chiefly spent in travelling. He frequently 

 visited the Alps ; in 188 1 he visited Pernambuco in Brazil ; and 

 in the following year he spent some time in the United States, 

 that he might become personally acquainted with the zoologists of 

 that country. During these excursions he was never unmindful 

 of his favourite pursuits, as his numerous scientific papers show. 

 In July, 1882, he left England to spend some months exploring 



