1897] 209 
OBITUARIES 
Str JOHN CHARLES BUCKNILL, one of the first editors of Brain and 
editor of the Journal of Mental Science for nine years, was, at the 
time of his death recently, acting in the capacity of Censor, Councillor 
and Lumleian Lecturer in the Royal College of Physicians. In 1866 
he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, and in July 1894 he was 
knighted. He produced a large number of psychological works, 
making insanity and similar subjects a specialty. He became 
especially popular through his psychological essays on the “ Mad folk 
of Shakespere.” 
Mr SAMUEL LAING, who died on August 8th at the advanced age of 
87 years, was formerly chairman of the Brighton Railway and had a 
lifelong connection with railway interests. He devoted his leisure to 
scientific pursuits, and his principal original work was the exploration 
of the prehistoric refuse heaps of Caithness, which he described, with 
the aid of Prof. Huxley, in 1866. During recent years he successfully 
devoted himself to the popularisation of science, his best known works 
being entitled “ Modern Science and Modern Thought” and “ Human 
Origins.” 
THE death of Captain BERTRAM LUTLEY SCLATER at Zanzibar on July 
24th will excite widespread sympathy among English naturalists for 
his father, Dr P. L. Sclater, as well as deep regret at the loss of an 
officer whose career was full of promise. His main work was road- 
making in British Central and British East Africa ; during which he 
accomplished many careful surveys. His maps form a valuable 
addition to our knowledge of the geography of those countries, in the 
future development of which the work which cost him his life will 
play an important part. 
ANOTHER geographer whose death cannot pass unnoticed in Natural 
Science was the late Nry ELIAs, a man whose work, though popularly 
very little known, was of such importance as to place him among the 
greatest English travellers of thiscentury. His first paper, “ Notes of 
a Journey to the New Course of the Yellow River,” is one of the 
classics of physical geography. His exploration of western 
Mongolia during a journey from Pekin to Nijni Novgorod is one of 
the six great feats in Asiatic travel. In 1885 he settled the vexed 
question as to the sources of the Oxus, and later on made numerous 
less famous journeys in the Indian borderlands. His shyness was exces- 
sive, and he had no ambition for notoriety. His great feats are recorded 
in technical geographical papers, but these will live. His reputation 
as a traveller will probably be greater in a century’s time than it is 
to-day. But in the meanwhile it would be very useful if his papers 
were collected and republished with some sketch of his life. 
P 
