lixnea:;? society of loxdox. 57 



He welcomed the rise of embryology under Frauk Balfour, and be 

 took very great interest in tbe development of the more modern 

 metbods of studying beredity and A'ariation. Amongst zoologists 

 he Avas one of the iirst to adopt tbe theory of organic evolution, set 

 forth by Darwin and Wallace. 



When be became Professor, be bad to cover tbe whole animal 

 kingdom ; but later, when Balfour, Sedgwick, and others covered 

 the morphological ground, bis lectures, which were always 

 written out, dealt with the theory of Evolution and with tbe 

 geographical distribution of animals. The last few years of bis- 

 life he appointed a deputy, and it is characteristic of his appre- 

 ciation of tbe value of the newer work, that he appointed Mr. 

 Bateson, who lectured upon tbe researches with which bis name is 

 so intimately associated. Although (as we have said) bis lectures 

 covered, at one time, the whole animal kingdom, in his writings 

 he restricted himself to his favourite group of birds. He published 

 the ' Oi-nitbology of Iceland,' ' Tbe Birds of Greenland,' an exhaus- 

 tive ' Dictionary of Birds ' in which be characteristically arranged 

 the genera in alpliabetical order, holding that no existing system 

 of classification was sufficiently satisfactory to adopt. He also 

 wrote ' Ootheca Wolleyana " — a monumental work — tbe first 

 volume of which appeared in 1864, the second and last shortly 

 before bis death. For a time he edited the ' Ibis ' and ' Zoological 

 Eecord,' and some of the volumes of the fourth edition of 

 ' Tarreirs British Birds.' A small text-book on Zoologj-, published 

 in 1872, was a model introduction to a great subject ; and to the 

 ninth edition of the ' Encyclopaedia Britannica ' he contributed 

 numerous articles on birds, some of which (for instance, those on 

 " Migration " and the " History of Ornithology and Geographical 

 Distribution ") are regarded as classical essays. These articles 

 enlarged and corrected were republished in the above-mentioned 

 Dictionary. 



Professor Newton was one of tbe first to take an active share 

 in the protection of birds, a subject which we have reason to 

 believe was first officially recognised by tbe British Government, 

 largely owing to his advocacy. Forty years ago, Newton brought 

 the matter before tbe British Association, and for many years be 

 was Chairman of tbe Close Time Committee, during which period 

 three Acts dealing with this subject passed through Parliament. 

 He also took a large part in organising the observation of migra- 

 tory birds at A-arious lighthouses, and other fixed stations. Of the 

 knowledge we have acquired from these observations much, at 

 least, is due to his foresight and powers of organisation. 



Tbe Museum of Zoology in Cambridge, which has grown to be 

 one of tbe largest in the kingdom, attained its position largely 

 under his guidance. He was always on the look out for new and 

 valuable specimens, constantly, though anonymously, buying and 

 presenting these. He very greatly disliked any of bis donations to 

 be recorded in theEeportsof the Museums and Lecturing Syndicate. 

 His gifts, not only of specimens, but of books, to the Library of 

 the Department must have cost a very large sum. 



