xxxvi Annual Report of tJie Council. 



advances in this field either originated or were critically modified 

 by his work. The mere enumeration of the subjects dealt with 

 is impossible here, but mention must be made of his paper on 

 "The Periodic reduction of the number of chromosomes in the 

 life-history of living organisms," read at the meeting of the 

 British Association in 1894, and of his later investigations into 

 the cytology of parthenogenesis, apogamy, and sex-distribution 

 in dioecious plants. While these cytological studies were in 

 progress, he published a large work on the conducting tissues 

 of plants that is of fundamental importance both in plant- 

 anatomy and in the physiology of the ascent of water in plants. 

 Strasburger was a great investigator, and not only extended and 

 deepened our knowledge of plants by his own work, but per- 

 sonally influenced many botanists, who worked in his research 

 laboratory. His writing is clear, though it is by the matter 

 rather than the method of exposition tlint he holds the attention. 

 Similarly, his interests lay rather in the research laboratory than 

 in more elementary teaching. He has, however, exerted great 

 influence on botanical teaching in Europe and Ameiica through 

 the " Botanische Praktikum," and later through the " I.ehrbuch 

 der Botanik," written by him and three other German botanists. 

 Both these works have been translated into several languages, 

 and in repeated editions have played an important part in 

 modern botanical teaching. His popular work, " Rambles on 

 the Riviera," the outcome of holiday studies, has also been 

 translated into English. 



Strasburger's scientific distinction was well recognised in 

 this country. Besides being a Foreign Member of this Society 

 he was a Foreign Member of the Royal Society and of the 

 Linnrean Society, and received the medal of the latter society 

 in 1905. W. H. L. 



Geheimrath Prof. Ferdinand Zirkel was a native of Bonn, 

 where he was born on May 20th, 1838. His early years were 

 spent in thnt city, nnd he gradunted in its University in 1861. 



