REMINISCENCES. Ixxvii 



the wood for the trees, growing herb or animal for cell laid bare by 

 scalpel, had for him no charm. His joy in Nature was the joy of 

 a child." On one of his few visits to the Botanical Department of 

 the British Museum he told us with much relish a story which may 

 be a variant of the foregoing — ^how a young lady, coming into his 

 room and seeing a specimen of Feziza coccinea on his table, was struck 

 by its beauty, and asked its name. On being told, she exclaimed, 

 " Peziza ! why I have been working at that for a fortnight ! " 



During the later years of his life, Babington — always in com- 

 pany with his devoted wife, who shared all his interests — spent long 

 periods of rest in various parts of the country — Yorkshire, Cornwall, 

 Durham, and Scotland, especially at Braemar, which they visited 

 annually from 1886 to 1891. The rest of the year was spent at 

 Cambridge, where on a fine day he might be seen in his wheel chair 

 either in the Botanic Gardens or on the Trumpington Road, or at other 

 places, or occasionally going for drives, almost the last drive being 

 to Cherry Hinton Chalk-pit close (1894). All the winter he would 

 be in the house, and read from morning to night, his sight being 

 excellent. He was never in the Herbarium after August, 1891, but 

 he retained charge of this till his death, his assiduous assistant, 

 Mr. Burkill, visiting him weekly to receive such instructions as 

 were necessary. Some two or three years since he appointed Mr. 

 Frank Darwin Deputy-Professor, with the charge of the laboratories. 

 His own herbarium and library, the latter containing some 1600 

 volumes, are bequeathed to the University; the interest of the 

 former, of course, lies mainly in the Bubi, but there is also an 

 extremely interesting collection of British plants, formed during his 

 long botanical career. 



His end, like his life, was peaceful. When the news of his 

 death, which took place on the 22 nd of July, reached me, I was 

 staying at a Benedictine abbey in the far north ; and the motto of 

 the house — " Pax " — seemed the most fitting message of sympathy 

 which could be sent. It is pleasant to know that the message gave 

 comfort to the one for whom it was intended. The funeral took 

 place at Cherry Hinton on July 26th, none but friends and the 

 Cambridge botanical staff being present. 



BRITISH RUBI. 



By James E. Bagnall, A.L.S. 



To no British botanist are we more indebted for our knowledge 

 of critical plants than to Professor Babington, who in the various 

 editions of his great and classical work. The Manual of British Botany, 

 has always been the advanced leader, giving to its students descrip- 

 tions of all recent additions to our flora; and the results of his 

 extensive knowledge of the botanical literature of the continent, 

 and of his examination of the herbaria issued by continental experts. 



