94 THE JOUEXAL OF BOTAyX 



vlerge blanche aux yeux bleues." The corn being cut, we wandered 

 over trie ^reat plain of La Beance, to a little village, surrounded 

 by mud walls, which we walked through without seeing a single 

 inhabitant ; and, looking back, saw across the flat the spires of the 

 cathedral miles awav. It was at this time that Oliver was copying 

 the architectural treatment of plants and animals, some of which he 

 subsequently re]")roduced decades (in 1882-0) for pnvate circu- 

 lation under the title Plant and Animal Forms as tised hi/ TVorkmen 

 of the Middle Ar/es in Decoration chiefly of French Churches. Of 

 these there were live fascicles, the drawings principally from Amiens, 

 Laon, Soissons. Beauvais, Senlis and Noyon. The last fascicle is 

 entirely devoted to Chartres ; sitting in the north porch, we found 

 a small square of decoration filled by a large compound leaf which 

 suggested an unibellifer but did not quite corres]x)nd with any we 

 could recall : Oliver set to work to draw it. and I idly with a paper- 

 knife began to remove the dirt which had tilled up the ground of the 

 design. Presently something appeared ; this, when fully uncovered, 

 proved to be the flower of a Columbine, which, with this clue, it was 

 evidently the leaf represented. Chai-tres is especially rich in floral 

 representation : Banuncidvs repens, sometimes very vigorously 

 ti-eated, is a favourite subject, and there are fine studies of Oak 

 and Ivy. 



Kuskin was much interested in these reproductions : of the third 

 decade he wrote — " Quite the best I have ever seen. . . . Your 

 Amiens work is magnificent and skilful and truthful — to the nearly 

 highest point." The studies of roses from Amiens — sometimes as 

 moulding, in one case a great stem with flowers and branches — 

 are of great beauty. As ap]')ears from various passages in Euskin's 

 writings, he was accustomed to apply to Oliver for botanical in- 

 formation ; he gave him a charming little drawing of poplars and 

 occasionally visited him at Kew. Oliver used to discuss the ]-)ropriety 

 of dedicating a genus to Ruskin, but his strong feeling that such 

 distinction should only be conferred on those who, either as botanists 

 or collectors, had benefited science, prevented this from being done. 

 It is to be regretted that the publication by Yentenat ( Jard. Cels. 

 t. 21) of a genus Oliveria should have prevented the natural tribute 

 to the subject of this memoir: the more so because the name 

 involves a mis-spelling, the naturalist therebv commemorated being 

 G. A. Olivier. ' " ' 



At the end of May, 1890, Oliver retired from the Keepership of 

 the Herbarium — an event marked by the presentation of an address 

 from the members of the Kew staff. The presentation was made by 

 Mr. I. R. Jackson — then Curator of the Museums, and the oldest 

 member of the staff and now the oldest Associate of the Linnean 

 Society — who had arrived at Kew at the same time as Oliver and was 

 one of his earliest friends there. 



For some time Oliver continued to visit the Herbarium, chiefly in 

 connection with the Icones, of which he had become editor; but, to 

 the loss of botany, he resigned that position at the end of 1895, 

 owing, it was understood, to differences with the then Director, 

 Mr. rafterwards Sir) W. T. Thiselton-Dver. 



