LINIS^EAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 39 



water-plants. On the discontinuance of ' Linnrea,' Dr. Eichler 

 began to publish his ' Jahrblicher des Konigl. botanischen Gar- 

 tens/ of which one volume annually was intended to be issued, 

 but the later issues have fallen behind, no doubt due to the 

 Editor's illness. 



Eicliler's chief work is unquestionably his ' Bluethendia- 

 gramme,' Leipzig, 1875-78, and his editorship of the ' Flora Bra- 

 siliensis.' As a Professor, his lectures were much frequented, due 

 to his clear and simple method and charm of delivery. 



Sir Walter Elliot, the son of Mr. James Elliot of Wolflee, 

 Hawick, N.B., was born at Edinburgh in 1805. He was educated 

 at Doncaster and Haileybury, and, after leaving school with 

 distinction, he entered the East-India Company's service in 1820. 

 Erom 1822 to 1833 he held the post of Assistant to the Political 

 Agent of the Southern Mahratta country, and in 1837 was private 

 secretary to Lord Elphinstoue, then Governor of Madras. He 

 was subsequently for twelve years a member of the Madras Board 

 of Revenue. Erom 1849 to 1854 he was Commissioner for the 

 Northern Circars. Finally, from 1854 until his retirement from 

 the service in 1859, he was Senior Member of Council in Madras. 



His contributions to Zoology were numerous and valuable, 

 and he may justly be ranked amongst those who laid the founda- 

 tions of our present knowledge of the Eauna of British India. 

 As a naturalist, Sir Walter Elliot was an observer and a collector 

 rather than a writer. He contributed, however, to the ' Madras 

 Journal of Science' for 1844 a "Catalogue of the Species of 

 Mammalia found in the Southern Mahratta country," which is 

 especially noteworthy on account of the record of his personal ob- 

 servation of the habits of the animals described, a number of which, 

 comprising most of the smaller rodents, were discovered by 

 himself. The British Museum has been enriched by numerous 

 zoological collections made by him, and amongst these may 

 be mentioned a valuable series of Cetacea, which formed the 

 subject of a memoir by Sir E/ichard Owen, published in the 

 6th volume of the 'Transactions' of the Zoological Society. 



In Botany, Sir Walter printed at Madras, in 1859, the ' Flora 

 Andlirica,' viz. the plants of the Telugu Districts, a work of con- 

 siderable local value as containing the vernacular and botanical 

 names. 



Sir Walter Elliot was a man of varied and extensive attain- 

 ments, and was equally distinguished as an ethnologist, philo- 

 logist, and numismatist. Indeed it will probably be considered 

 that his most important literary contribution was a monograph 

 of the Coins of Southern India, the publication of which was 

 completed last year, notwithstanding the author's total loss of 

 sight before the work was finished. He also contributed, during 

 a number of years, many notes to the ' Indian Antiquary ' and the 

 ' Madras Journal of Literature and Science ' on his favourite 

 studies. 



