1919- Nathaniel Colgan. 123 



in more than a desultory way. Possibly a trip to Kerry 

 in 1892 with R. W. Scully, who was getting to work at 

 his exploration of that interesting region, was instrumental 

 in deciding him on commencing systematic investigation 

 into the flora of his own county. But it was characteristic 

 of him that he went to work with no flourish of trumpets. 

 Indeed, when in 1893 the Committee of the Dublin 

 Naturalists' Field Club (of which Colgan was an original 

 member) proposed to organize a botanical survey of the 

 Dublin area, it was with some surprise that they learned 

 that he was already at work on the same investigation. 



Once taken up, the projected Flora of Dubhn was pushed 



forward with energy. Never was a county more thoroughly 



examined, and from the floristic point of view his book, 



published in 1904, was a model in its painstaking accuracy 



and careful detail. But he was no more than embarked 



on this work before another larger task devolved upon him. 



A. G. More died in 1895, and under the terms of his will 



Colgan and his friend Scully were appointed to complete 



and see through the press the new edition of " Cybele 



Hibernica " for which More had been collecting materials 



for many years. Although More's annotated copy of 



" Cybele " provided much of the additional matter which 



had accumulated since 1866 in the way of fresh stations 



for the rarer plants, much more was required before the 



work could assume the shape in which in 1898 it was 



produced. The whole vexed question of nomenclature had 



to be faced ; wide investigations into the correct allocation 



of old records, the soil relations of the flora, the Irish names 



of plants, were undertaken ; so that the new " Cybele " 



bore abundantly the impress of both the energy and the 



care of its foster-parents. The test of time confirms the 



value of the work of Colgan and Scully, and deepens the 



debt of gratitude which Irish botanists owe to them. On 



the publication of " Cybele " Colgan returned with energy 



to the " Flora of County Dublin," which was duly published 



six years later. 



I am not acquainted with the circumstances which 

 first attracted him to the ^lollusca. No doubt so many 

 years of steady work at the Flowering Plants led to a desire 



A 2 



