88 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



he has interested and astonished the botanic world with the out- 

 come of his investigations in masterly treatises which may be 

 termed epoch-making. Mucli of the present knowledge of the 

 life-history of the lower vegetable organisms is due either to De 

 Barv's own observations, or the system of research and culture 

 which he instituted. He collected the scattered ideas concerning 

 some of the vital problems, and, after subjecting them to rigid 

 and conscientious scrutiny, set them in a new light before the 

 world. Of such may be mentioned his many works on Fungi, 

 other allied plants, Algff, Chara, and Cycads, his startling work 

 on the Mycetozoa, and his investigation of the Potato-disease ; of 

 later date, his lectures on Bacteria. For many years he was editor 

 of the ' Botanische Zeitung,' which contained many of his shorter 

 papers. lie had a naturalist's love for the plants of his neigh- 

 bourhood, and had a critical knowledge of the Alpine forms of 

 vegetation. 



In 1887 De Bary visited England, and Avas present at the 

 British Association meeting at Manchester ; but he was then 

 suffering great pain from the affection which at last proved fatal, 

 cancer ; he underwent an operation, the diseased portion of the 

 face being removed, but without experiencing relief, for he died 

 at Strassburg, 19th January 1888. His Foreign Membership 

 of our Society dated from May 2, 1867. 



AlexajS'dee Dickson was born in Edinburgh on 21st February, 

 1836 ; the second son of David Dickson, who was in the prac- 

 tice of the law and the proprietor of valuable estates in Lanark- 

 shire and Peebleshire. He was brought up at first in the home 

 circle, then as a student at the University of Edinburgh, where 

 he graduated M.D. in 1860, on which occasion his thesis was 

 on the structure of the seed-vessel in Caryophyllese. Although 

 qualified to practise medicine, his inclination lay towards mor- 

 phological botany, and it was with a feeling of relief that he was 

 enabled to pursue his favourite line of study and give up the un- 

 congenial one of medical practice. He became teacher of Botany 

 at Aberdeen as locum tenens in 1862 for Prof. Dickie, who was 

 then in bad health. On the death of Wm. Harvey in 1866, he 

 became professor at Dublin, and two years later succeeded Walker- 

 Arnott at Glasgow, in 1879 finally passing to Edinburgh in 

 succession to J. H. Balfour, resigned. 



His death was quite unexpected ; on Friday, 80th December, 

 1 887, he was engaged in a curling match, and was entering some 

 notes, when he Avas seen to fall backwards into the arms of a 

 friend, and shortly after breathed his last. 



His association with the Linnean Society is of comparatively 

 recent date ; he was elected Fellow, April 15th, 1875. His pub- 

 lished papers are mostly morphological, and his death has i-emoved 

 one of t lie most accomplished of that school. In private life he 

 was endeared to his tenantry, as a professor his students loved 



