igo'S. Henry Chichester Hart 251 



in torrents of rain, absolute silence being observed regarding 

 the atmospheric conditions. Both wet to the skin "in no 

 time," Hart deliberately kept walking amongst the scrub, 

 briarsj and long grass b}- the river's edge, so as to discourage 

 his companion. To prove utter indifference to moisture, the 

 writer walked into the river and sat down on a submerged 

 stone and began to eat lunch. Hart, with the utmost 

 nonchalance and without sa3'ing a word, did likewise. 

 Saturation was soon complete. All rivalry ceased; and friend- 

 ship prevailed during the remainder of the day. 



Physical and scientific qualifications induced the Govern- 

 ment to select him as naturalist to H.M.S. "Discovery" when 

 that vessel started on the Polar Expedition in 1875, under the 

 command of Captain Nares. Colonel Fielden, who was 

 naturalist to H.M.S. " Alert " on the same expedition, writes : 

 *' Physically, he was I think the finest man I ever knew." 

 Hart published his results in the Joiirnal of Botany and the 

 Zoologist. 



The Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1883 

 enlisted his services in a widely different region, when sending 

 out an expedition to examine the geological structure of the 

 Jordan Valley and Western Palestine. Several collateral sub- 

 jects were kept in view. Professor Hull, F.R.S., then Director 

 of the Irish Geological Surve}-, was in command, and amongst 

 the other members of the Expedition was Major H. H. 

 Kitchener, R.E. (now Lord Kitchener). Hart added consider- 

 ably to the recognized flora of the district traversed. 



In the preface to the second edition of the Cybele Hibernica, 

 1898, the editors thus refer to his contributions to Irish botany : 

 " No attempt will be made here to estimate the precise share 

 " contributed by each of many field-workers to the advance in 

 " Irish botany which is marked by the publication of the pre- 

 " sent edition. The broad results alone are of general interest, 

 "but it seems only just that particular mention should be 

 " made of the services of Henry C. Hart, who has done more 

 " to further our knowledge of Irish plant distribution than 

 " any other explorer of recent years." When on a tour in the 

 Scottish highlands, he discovered Arabi's alpina (with which 

 he had been familiar in Greenland) near the summit of one of 

 the Cuchullin mountains in Skye, a most interesting addition 

 to the alpine flora of the British Isles. 



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