xxxiii, '22] ENTO.MOI.OOU AT. NEWS 127 



OBITUARY. 



DR. THOMAS ALGERNON CHAPMAN died at Reigate. Surrey, 

 England, December 17, 1921. He was born at Glasgow, June 

 2, 1842. He was an M.D. of the University of his native 

 town and was resident physician at institutions at Glasgov/, 

 Abergavenny and Hereford until his retirement in 1897. His 

 father. Thomas Chapman (1816-1879), was active in ento- 

 mology and father and son contributed joint papers to the 

 English entomological magazines in the sixties of the last 

 century. Dr. T. A. Chapman's work was largely on the life- 

 history and genitalia of Lepidoptera, especially the Lycaenidae 

 (1910-1915), Ercbia (1898), Scoparidae (1911) and 

 . Icronycta, but he also wrote on the habits and transformations 

 of Diptera (Atheri.v 1866), Coleoptera (Hylcsiiins, Aphodins, 

 Scolytns), Hymenoptera (Oviposition O'f Sawflies, Chrysids 

 ] arasitic on Odynerus, Alnicra and Bouibvlins ), etc. 



He was a Fellow of the Entomological Society of London 

 cilice 1891 and many times a Vice President, but could never 

 be induced to accept the Presidency. He was elected a Fellow 

 of the Zoological Society of London in 1897 and of the Royal 

 Society in 1918. 



His biographer (\Y. G. Sheldon) in The Entomologist for 

 February, 1922, considers that 



Without doubt the late Dr. Chapman was one of the greatest and 

 most scientific entomologists we have ever produced and one who in 

 certa : n departments must be regarded as the greatest exponent Britain 

 has given the science. . . . Foremost among his remarkable powers 

 was his acuteness of observation ; little facts that others would not 

 have noticed were seized upon, their significance realized and important 

 deductions made therefrom. His clear, logical mind and soundness of 

 judgment were of the greatest importance and usually lei him straight 

 to the desired goal. . . . His entomological work was carried out in a 

 thorough manner, and every detail carefully studied ... it was always 

 illustrated profusely with explanatory plates, many of them exquisitely 

 drawn and colored. ... He was one of the strongest exponents of 

 the doctrine, that we cannot satisfactorily classify species by one 

 character alone, no matter whether it is by the ova, larva or pupa 

 stage, or by the structure and markings of the imagine, but that we 

 must take everything into consideration. 



