THOMAS SERGEANT HALL. 



It is with deep regret that we have to record the death, on 

 December 21st, 1915, of Dr. T. S. Hall. 



Thomas Sergeant Hall was born in Geelong on December 23rd, 

 1858, and was educated at the Geelong Grammar School where he 

 remained until 1877. At an early date he began to take great 

 interest in natural history, more especially in geology and palaeon- 

 tology. In 1879 he held a mastership in Wesley College, and in 

 1884 and 1885 secured exhibitions in Ormond College in the Uni- 

 versity, taking the degree of B.A. in the latter year with honours 

 in Natural Science. At a later date, in 1908, the University 

 conferred upon him the Degree of D.Sc. in recognition of his valuable 

 original scientific work. 



In 1887 he was teaching in Bendigo but the following year found 

 him once more in Melbourne, working at the University where the 

 new Chemical, Physical and Biological Laboratories had been equipped 

 since his earlier student days. He passed through the complete three 

 years' course in Biology. 



From 1890 to 1893 he was Director of the School of Mines in 

 Castlemaine where, though his energies were largely devoted to 

 organizing work and teaching a wide range of science subjects, he 

 managed to find time in which to study the geology of the district and 

 became especially interested in graptolites. Though obscure, the 

 group is an important one, because certain species have definite 

 relationships to the gold-bearing rocks of the Bendigo and Castle- 

 maine district, and his most important paper is probably that on 

 " The Geology of Castlemaine, with Sub-divisions of Part of the 

 Lower Silurian Rocks of Victoria, etc.," published by the Royal 

 Society of Victoria in 1894. The last paper that he published was 

 entitled " Victorian Graptolites, Part IV.," which was read in July 

 1914. 



In 1893 he succeeded Dr. Dendy as Lecturer on Biology in the 

 Melbourne University, a post that he held until his death. 



In 1888 he had published his first paper on "Two New Species of 

 Fossil Sponges from Sandhurst" and when he returned to Melbourne 

 he identified himself closely with the work of the Royal Society, 

 devoting a large amount of time to its interests. In 1896 he became 

 a member of Council ; from 1897-1899 he was Librarian; for fifteen 

 years, from 1899-1914, he was Hon. Secretary, taking the leading part 

 in everything concerned with it. In 1914 and 1915 he was President, 



i. 



