IN MEMORIAM 3 



the period of that religious awakening which made such an 

 impression on his friends. 



Soon, however, Prof. Goodsir, who was ever ready to notice 

 ability and earnestness in his students, selected Traquair for 

 his prosectorship, and, by and by when a vacancy occurred, 

 to a demonstratorship in human anatomy, an office he held 

 for three years ; indeed, until he was appointed Professor of 

 Natural History in the Royal Agricultural College, Ciren- 

 cester. On leaving the University of Edinburgh, his students 

 indicated their appreciation of his earnest labours by 

 presenting him with a silver dissecting-case. Though not an 

 enthusiastic botanist, he soon mastered the British grasses 

 and the general knowledge of the subject, so that his brief 

 period in office was worthy of him. Transferred to Dublin 

 as the first Professor of Zoology, Dr Traquair was in a more 

 congenial post, and it brought him into contact with new 

 surroundings, so that his store of humorous stories was 

 largely increased. Besides, there he met Miss Moss, a lady 

 of refined artistic talents, who afterwards became his wife. 

 His heart, however, was ever in Scotland, and his thoughts 

 clung to the fossil fishes of his native land, which he regularly 

 visited during his holidays. Nowhere was he happier than 

 when he joined an excursion to the mountains and glens of 

 Perthshire, to the coal-measures of Fife, or to the rocks of St 

 Andrews. Moreover, since graduation in 1862, he visited 

 Germany several times, staying in a house where no English 

 was spoken, in order to perfect his knowledge of the language. 

 Thus from many sides was his experience destined to be 

 focussed on the study of fossil fishes when in 1873 he was 

 successful in obtaining the post of Keeper of the Natural 

 History Collections in the Museum of Science and Art 

 (afterwards the Royal Scottish Museum) in Edinburgh. 

 Settled thus in what was really his native city, with many old 

 friends around, with a rich collection of fossil fishes at his 

 disposal, with the advantage of official visits to continental 

 museums, and with the aid of Mrs Traquair's skilful artistic 

 work at home, Dr Traquair set resolutely to work especially 

 on those fishes which were Palaeozoic and Scottish. Thus he 

 produced a large series of memoirs and works which not only 

 brought him great reputation, but added lustre to the Royal 



