Obituary. 159 



in the modern branch of zoo-geography, which owes some of 

 the most important modifications and generalizations to him. 

 Lastly, it is only fair to mention that he is one of the few 

 zoologists among his contemporaries who, from the first, 

 embraced the doctrine of evolution according to Darwinian 

 principles/^ 



The Birds of Yorkshire. — We are pleased to learn that 

 arrangements have been made for the speedy resumption of 

 the publication of Mr. W. Eagle Clarke's ' Birds of York- 

 shire,' which work has partly appeared in the ' Transactions ' 

 of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, and '' the continuation 

 of which was interrupted by Mr. Clarke's leaving Yorkshire 

 to settle in Edinburgh. Mr. Clarke and the Y.N.U. have 

 now been able to secure the services of so able and com- 

 petent an ornithologist as Mr. Thos. H. Nelson, M.B.O.U., 

 of Redcar, to continue and complete the task." 



XII. — Obituary. 



Dr. John Anderson. — The death of our much esteemed 

 friend. Dr. John Anderson, although he did little special work 

 in Ornithology, must not pass unnoticed in the columns of 

 * The Ibis.' He was born in Edinburgh in 1833, and took the 

 degree of Doctor of Medicine at the University of that city in 

 1861, receiving a gold medal for his thesis entitled '^ Obser- 

 vations in Zoology." His first post was that of Professor of 

 Natural Science at the Free Church College in his native 

 capital; but in 1864 he resigned that office and proceeded to 

 India, having been off'ered the headship of a new Museum 

 planned by the Supreme Government in order to receive 

 the collections of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. In 1865 

 Dr. Anderson was appointed Superintendent of the new 

 Museum at Calcutta; and two or three years later was also 

 selected for the Chair of Comparative Anatomy in the Medical 

 College of that city. Calcutta, therefore, became his head- 

 quarters for the whole of his professional career^ but he took 



