The Scottish Naturalist. 297 



mens of rare animals or plants from persons desirous to have them 

 named. Among them were various rare birds. In 1850, Mr. 

 Smith sent to the Zoologist a notice of sanderlings shot by Edward 

 on Boyndie sands, and other notes re-written from material sup- 

 plied by him. Edward himself afterwards contributed articles to 

 the Zoologist, the Naturalist, and other scientific journals. De- 

 spite the disadvantages of want of early education, his style of 

 writing was vivid and interesting; and the fact, that what he 

 wrote was founded on personal investigations, gave it reality and 

 value. One of his great defects, due to imperfect education, was 

 the liability to identify his captures wrongly ; hence the names 

 given by him, if not authenticated by his scientific correspondents, 

 are not to be wholly relied on when they relate to rare species. 



In 1858, he was again unable to work, this time through an 

 attack of rheumatic fever with ulcerated throat, and he had once 

 more to sell part of his collections. He then gave up the idea of 

 forming another collection ; and resolved to devote his attention 

 to the marine fauna of the Banffshire coast. By setting traps in 

 the form of old pots, kettles, and such like, filled with rags, straw, 

 or other rubbish, and sunk in rock-pools, or in deeper water, he 

 caught many creatures. Watching the incoming waves, searching 

 shore debris, opening the stomachs of fish, and examining the 

 lines of fishermen, all added to his knowledge ; and he accumu- 

 lated large numbers of crustaceans, fishes, zoophytes, and other 

 marine animals, many of which were new to science. He corres- 

 ponded largely with Mr. Jonathan Couch upon fishes, with Mr. 

 Spence Bate and Mr. Norman upon Crustacea, and with other 

 naturalists on other groups ; and many are the references in 

 works on marine zoology to specimens and information derived 

 from him. Several species bear his name, in recognition of his 

 labours. 



In 1866, he was admitted Associate of the Linnean Society; 

 and several smaller societies followed suit. In 1868, his health, 

 which had been long and severely tried by the exposure incurred 

 in his nocturnal rambles, failed altogether for a time ; and he 

 found himself forced to give up his favourite pursuits. But he 

 could not remain idle ; so he turned his attention to antiquities. 

 He discovered a large "kitchen midden " at Boyndie, near Banff, 

 from which he unearthed a number of curious and interesting 

 relics. 



