THE LATE LEWIS N. (i. KAMSAY. 



The present war finds many of the younger students of 

 British ornithology serving in some branch of His Majesty's 

 Forces, and it is only fitting that the fullest tribute should 

 be paid to the memory of those who lay down their lives for 

 their country and that the fullest acknowledgment should 

 be made of the value of their unfinished scientific labours. 

 Ornithologists have cause to mourn the loss of one most 

 enthusiastic fellow worker in Lewis Neil Griffith Ramsay, 

 M.A., B.Sc, who, although only twenty-five years of age, 

 had already much good work to his name. 



Mr. Ramsay was born at Aberdeen on 3rd February, 

 1890, the second son of Professor Sir William M. Ramsay. 

 He was educated at Merchiston School, Edinburgh, and 

 afterwards studied at Aberdeen University and later at 

 Christ's College, Cambridge, and at the Imperial College of 

 Science. He graduated M.A. at Aberdeen in 1910, and B.Sc. 

 in 1913, and was about to submit a piece of research work 

 for his Cambridge B.A. During 1914 he acted as Assistant 

 to the Professor of Natural History at Aberdeen, and shortly 

 before the outbreak of war he had been made a Beit Memorial 

 Fellow and was about to take up work at the Imperial 

 College. 



From an early age Mr. Ramsay had been a keen student 

 of birds and he had amassed a great amount of data regarding 

 the ornis of Aberdeenshire. On the more technical side may 

 be mentioned his notes on the moult of the Herring-Gvdl and 

 on the collections made by the Scottish National Antarctic 

 Expedition. He himself had travelled considerably and 

 had made valuable collections not only of birds but also of 

 mammals, insects, and botanical specimens in various places, 

 notably in Asia Minor in the summer of 1907. In addition 

 to his work on birds, Mr. Ramsay has left unfinished a 

 " Revision of the Nereidse," a piece of work which was 

 expected by competent judges who knew its substance to 

 become a classical paper on that group of marine worms. 

 Latterly he had turned to Entomology with a view to 

 studying it from the economic side. 



He was liked and respected by all with whom he came in 

 contact. He was conspicuovis for the enthusiasm which 

 he displayed in everything he took up, whether scientific 

 work, hill-climbing, or athletics. Among other things he had 

 been a keen volunteer and Territorial. Early in September 

 last he rejoined his old unit, the 4th Battalion Gordon 

 Highlanders (T.F.), becoming a sergeant. Later he became 



