1897.] William Archer. 255 



Spiroioenia (p. 147) ; on a new cyst-like structure enclosing 

 minute Algae (p. 192), and an elaborate essay on Rhizopoda 

 (p. 231), with numerous illustrations drawn by himself. Mr. 

 Archer and Professor E. P. Wright were joint Honorary 

 Secretaries of this Society for some time. When Professor 

 Harvey retired from the chair of Botany in Trinity College, 

 Mr. Archer would have been appointed his successor, but 

 declined the post, owing to his over modest distrust of his 

 ability to address a class of students on botanical subjects. 



He was elected member of Royal Irish Academy in 1870, 

 and subsequently served on its Council, and as Secretary for 

 Foreign Correspondence from 1875 to 1880. On November 

 29, 1879, he was awarded the Cunningham Gold Medal, which 

 was presented to .him through the President, the late Sir 

 Robert Kane, being the year when a similar medal was given 

 to Sir Robert Ball, then Astronomer Royal, for his scientific 

 attainments. Sir R. Kane in his address mentioned some of 

 Mr. Archer's claims to that valued distinction. Amongst these 

 he stated that in 1855 Mr. Archer had prepared a list of Desmids 

 obtained in Co. Dublin, illustrated with drawings, for the Zoo- 

 logical and Botanical Association of Trinity College (vol. i., 

 p. 94), to which he afterwards added a supplemental list con- 

 taining additional species. He had edited for the second 

 edition of Pritchard's work on Infusoria, the article " Desmi- 

 diaceae," was the discoverer and describer of several new genera 

 and families belonging to the Rhizopods, and had published a 

 special communication on Ballia callitrichem the Transactio7is 

 of the Linnaean Society. 



To \h.^ Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy he contributed, 

 in December, 1874, a Paper on "Apothecia occurring in 

 some Scytonematous and Sirosyphonaceous Algae," and,, in 

 February, 1875, another on *' Chlamydomyxa labaryyithuloides, 

 a new^ species and genus of Freshwater Sarcodic Organism." 

 In June, 1875, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society. 

 It deserves to be specially mentioned that this distinction and 

 the membership of the Royal Irish Academy were conferred 

 on him without his knowledge by the application of personal 

 friends who were acquainted with his scientific worth, and who 

 also contributed to defray the usual expenses, in testimony of 

 their esteem for him. 



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