Obituary. ix 



MAJOR THOMAS BROUN, 1838-1919. 



Major Thomas Broun, a member of an old titled Scottish family, was 

 born in Edinburgh on the 15th July, 1838, and died in Auckland on the 

 24:th August, 1919. Both his father and an uncle (Captain Thomas Broun) 

 were naturalists of considerable repute in their day, and no doubt it was 

 from them that he inherited his scientific tastes. 



Intended for the Army, he was educated by a private tutor in Edin- 

 burgh, and leceived his first commission at the age of sixteen, during the 

 Crimean War. After the close of that war he accompanied his regiment 

 (the 35th Royal Sussex Infantry) to Buima. Heie the large size and 

 brilliant colours of many of the tiopical insects attracted his attention, 

 arid he commenced to form a collection for the British Museum. But the 

 outbreak of tlie Indian Mutiny in May, 1857, put an end to this project, 

 and his legiment was despatched to Calcutta. Immediately on arrival 

 it was sent to succour the French settlement of Chandernagore, whose 

 existence was then threatened bv a large bodv of mutineers ; and for 

 .services rendered during this expedition he many years afterwards received 

 the distinction of Knight of the Legion of Honour. He served in India 

 during tlie whole period of the Mutiny. He was present at the assault 

 and capture of Delhi, at the relief of Lucknow, and was attached to Lord 

 Clyde's main force through most of his campaigns. He received the Indian 

 Mutiny medal and other decorations. Towards the close of 1861 he was 

 struck down with cholera, and narrowly escaped death. He was invalided 

 home in 1862, and retired from the Army in the same year. 



In 1863 he married, and after a brief stay in Scotland emigrated to 

 New Zealand. He brought with him letters of introduction from the Duke 

 of Ha;nilton to Sir George Grey, who at once offered him a commission as 

 Captain in the 1st Waikato Regiment, then being formed for service during 

 the Maori War. He served through the whole of the war, partly in 

 the Waikato and partly on the East Coast, and was awarded the New 

 Zealand medal. Shortly afterwards he took up land in the Opotiki district, 

 and remained there for some years. His attempts at farming, however, 

 did not jirove remunerative, and on the advice of the Hon. Colonel 

 Haultain, who, as Defence Minister, was well acquainted with him, he in 

 1876 accepted educational work under the Auckland Board of Edrrcatiou, 

 and remained in the service of the Board imtil 1888. He was appointed 

 Government Entomologist in 1890, a post which he held for several years. 



Major Brouu's active work in New Zealand entomology commenced 

 immediately after the close of the Maori War, and continued to within a 

 few weeks of his death. Although he collected a considerable number 

 of Hemiptera and Orthoptera for various correspondents, and had a good 

 working knowledge of most other families, his chief effoi-ts were always 

 .devoted to the Coleoptera. When the writer first met him, in 1875, he 

 stated his desire to prepare a general work on the New Zealand species, 

 and described the preparations he had already nrade iir amassing luaterial 

 and obtaining works of reference. A few years later he applied to the 

 Auckland Institute for assistance in jjirblishing his work. The Institute, 

 having no firnds that it could devote to such a purpose, forwarded ]iis 

 application to Sir James Hector, as Director of the Colonial Museum and 

 Geological Survey. After some little delay the publication of the work 



