1S88-89.] In Manoriam : John Allan. 277 



and wliere lie possessed the finest collection of roses for miles 

 around. Until lie left home to settle in Edinburgh, he was 

 a frequent exhibitor at the Carluke annual flower-shows, often 

 taking prizes. It was always a great delight to him to visit 

 famed gardens or conservatories, at home or abroad. His 

 own little greenhouse at Portobello was a perennial source of 

 pleasure to him ; while the garden there contained several of 

 our rarer native flowers and ferns, gathered in botanical ex- 

 cursions. He had a wide and accurate knowledge of the 

 British flora, and felt that keen sense of enjoyment in 

 searching for plants which only a true botanist can experi- 

 ence. On two occasions lately he joined a few of the mem- 

 bers of the Botanical Society (of which he was also a member) 

 in their summer camp, — first at Applecross, "Wester Eoss, in 

 188 G, and next at Glenure, Argyllshire, in 1887. A paper 

 on the former of these, entitled " Jottings on a Eamble in 

 Wester Eoss," was read by him to this Society in Session 

 1886-87 ;■*■ while the Eeport to the Botanical Society on the 

 results of the same visit was the product of his pen.^ Both 

 of these summer holiday-excursions were keenly enjoyed by 

 him, — especially the former, to Applecross, where mountain, 

 loch, and seashore were alike laid under contribution, and not 

 only flowering-plants, but desmids, diatoms, the larger algse, and 

 zoophytes, were all collected and brought home, to form after- 

 wards, as prepared microscopic objects, a source of constant de- 

 light. Living at Portobello, the seashore, with its characteristic 

 botany and zoology, soon attracted him ; and to the Eeport 

 of the Botanical Society's summer camp at Wester Eoss, 

 above mentioned, a " Note on the Algae " is appended, most 

 of the fifty species then collected having been gathered by 

 himself. It was largely owing to his enthusiasm in this 

 branch of natural history that several members of this Society 

 were induced to give some attention to it. In Session 

 1885-86 two marine excursions were made, one to Gran ton 

 and the other to Joppa, when Mr Allan drew up a short ac- 

 count of the latter, which is now printed in the first volume 

 of our ' Transactions.'^ Other marine excursions were after- 

 wards made under Mr Allan's leadership ; and it is to be 



^ 'Transactions,' vol. ii. p. 23. - ' Trans. Bot. Soc.,' vol. xvii. p. 117. 



^ "Marine Excursions : Joppa" — 'Transactions,' vol. i. p. 315. 



