©ije ^ri^ij Jlaturali^t. 



VOLUME VII. 



REV. SAMUKIv HAUGHTO 



M.D., S.F.T.C.D., F.R.S. 



In the departure from amongst us of Rev. Dr. Haughton 

 (whose death took place on October 31, 1897), Dublin will 

 miss the familiar form of a prominent citizen, well known for 

 his usefulness in various lines of activity, and Trinity College 

 loses a distinguished member and officer of great working 

 capacity, one also who was among the foremost in assisting to 

 carry out her role of the cultivation of knowledge. Dr. 

 Haughton was born in Carlow in 182 1. At the early age of 

 23 he was elected Fellow of Trinity College, and in 1881 he 

 was co-opted Senior Fellow of the same. Having begun his 

 scientific career as a mathematician and mathematical 

 physicist, by which he obtained his Fellow.ship, he, afterwards, 

 as Professor of Geology and as M.D., became engaged with 

 subjects which come more within the purview of the Irish 

 Nahcralist, such as botany, zoology, and mineralogy. As re- 

 gards physical geology, which sometimes runs into cosmology, 

 his know4edge of mathematics and ph3'sics enabled him to 

 handle problems which could not be successfully attacked by 

 many an ordinary geologist. In this way the versatility of 

 his powers and the variety of his attainments came in with 

 great advantage. We may here observe that this is shown 

 also by his work on the " Principles of Animal Mechanics " 

 (London, 1873). This was a subject in which he took special 

 interest, and to which he paid much attention, for many years. 

 He shows how it illustrates the very important economical 

 principle, displayed also in other regions of Nature, the 

 Principle of Least Action. The treatment in this book 



