Obituary. 645 



of science, serving ou the Councils of the Royal Society, 

 the Geological, Geographical, Zoological, &c, and taking part 

 in the discussion of papers or the delivery of his own Presi- 

 dential Addresses. The Government of India often sought 

 his advice, and entrusted to him the Editorship of a series of 

 volumes on the Fauna of India, of which seventeen have 

 been published — the whole of the Vertebrata, and others on 

 the Insecta and Arachnida. Out of the four volumes on the 

 Birds of India, two were contributed by Dr. Blanford. His 

 last work for this series, on which he was engaged up to 

 within a few days of his death, was ' The Land-Mollusca' — 

 perhaps one of his most favourite studies. I believe I am 

 right in saying the land and freshwater shells were the first 

 to attract his attention and to be collected by him after his 

 arrival in India, and they were the last to which his thoughts 

 were directed. 



It has been the writer's good fortune to have seen very 

 much of the Member we have lost, for our correspondence 

 extended over nearly 40 years both in India and in this 

 country. With subjects and interests in common, I thank- 

 fully acknowledge that my friend certainly to a great extent 

 directed my Natural History work, and my formation of a 

 collection of the Indian Land-Mollusca and serious study 

 of the subject were very much due to association with both 

 Henry and William Blanford. It added not a little for many 

 years to an enjoyment of life in the jungle, when carrying 

 on survey-operations in India. Blanford took an interest in 

 every worker and collector he came across, and inasmuch as 

 he was always ready to help with his advice and experience, 

 all must have felt the charm of his society. 



Besides being a naturalist he was a keen sportsman, the 

 one often makes the other — with gun or rod in hand no one 

 enjoyed his day more. It is only in the life spent in camp, 

 with its curious contrasts of pleasure and discomfort, in the 

 hours of walking through the stubbles or standing by the 

 covert side, that one really gets to know all that there is 

 of good in a friend's nature. William Blanford could enter 

 into such pleasures, and his knowledge of Nature had been 



