( 294 ) 



THE LATE PROFESSOR ROBERT C0LLE1^\ 



By the death of Professor Robert Collett at Christiania on 

 January 27th, 1913, Norway loses its best-known naturalist, 

 and one whose reputation is practically cosmopolitan. 



The following tribute to his memory must, it is feared, 

 be of a rather egotistical nature, because the writer, Mho has 

 known him for over thirty years, seeing him on nearly every 

 occasion of his passage through Christiania, and corresponding 

 with him somewhat largely, is surprised to realize how very 

 little he knows of the personal history of his friend. His 

 acquaintance with him dates from 1881. When in Chris- 

 tiania that year the writer went as usual to the Zoological 

 Museum of the University and asked for Professor Esmark 

 (Collett's predecessor), but instead of the old gentleman, a slim 

 young man appeared, who expressed his interest in two 

 papers on Beavers in Norway, published in the Zoologist in 

 1880, which the writer had sent to Esmark. This proved 

 to be Herr Collett, who had already contributed five papers 

 to the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 

 besides having published several in Norway, the most impor- 

 tant of which Mas perhaps his Report on Den Norske Nordhavs 

 Expedition, 1876-1878, Zoologi. 1. Fiske, published in Chris- 

 tiania, 1880, in Norwegian and English. He had also begun 

 his " Bemserkninger til Norges Pattedyrfauna " in Nyt 

 Magazin for Naturvidenskaberne, Mhich appeared in 

 1876-77-81-82. 



On Esmark retiring shortly aftemvards, Collett was 

 appointed his successor as Professor of Zoology of the 

 University of Christiania and Director of the Zoological 

 Museum there. 



Within a marvellously short time he formed an almost 

 entirely new collection of the vertebrates of Norway for 

 the Museum, going off Avith a taxidermist to whatever parts 

 of the country might be expected best to provide him Mith 

 the specimens desired. The shoM-cases soon contained 

 a fresh and nearly absolutely complete series of each species 

 of bird of his OM-n collecting, and full series of specimens of 

 the other classes of vertebrates. 



In 1876 Herr Collett had been elected a Corresponding 

 Member of the Zoological Society of London ; and in 1893 

 the Professor Avas elected a Foreign ^lember of the Society, 

 and Mas at the time of his death the sixth in order of seniority 

 out of the tMcnty-five members on that list. Between 1865 

 and 1894 he contributed many valuable papers to the Ibis 

 and in 1900 was elected to the distinguished band of 

 Honorary Members of the British Ornithologists' Union. 



