27S In Memoriain : JoJin Allan. [Sess. 



hoped that, with our Jong stretch of coast-line close at hand, 

 marine botany and zoology will not henceforth be neglected 

 by the Society. 



Of all that Mr John Allan was in jorivate life I can hardly 

 venture to speak. A kind husband and a loving father, he 

 was also, to those who were privileged to know him intimately, 

 a true and warm-hearted friend, high-souled in principle, with 

 a feeling of aversion akin to contempt for all that was mean 

 or self-seeking. As a companion in outdoor rambles, his 

 acute and trained observation of natural objects was very 

 marked; and those of us who shared these country walks 

 with him, or wandered in his company by the sea-shore, or 

 hunted in the rock -pools — now and then sitting down beside 

 him afterwards over the microscope when home had been 

 reached, to examine more carefully the treasures gathered — 

 will not soon forget these pleasant hours. Alas ! that they 

 are all now but memories of the past. 



I cannot close this short biographical sketch without 

 observing that Mr Allan's connection with the Society fur- 

 nishes a good illustration of the raison d'etre of such societies 

 as this. Everything pertaining to the observation and study 

 of Nature is included in the rules of our constitution ; and all 

 who in any way have a love for Nature, and are actuated by 

 a desire to become better acquainted with any of its manifold 

 aspects, are welcomed as members. Thus many of our number 

 are engaged daily in avocations which lie wholly outside of 

 these studies ; but by taking them up simply as a pastime, 

 and as a relief from the daily routine of business, the health 

 and vigour of both mind and body alike are sustained, and a 

 pleasure in life is acquired which knows no satiety and never 

 becomes uninteresting, but which often helps to brighten what 

 might otherwise prove dull periods in existence. While the 

 members of this Society owe a debt of gratitude to John 

 Allan for the enthusiasm for the study of Nature, in some of 

 its departments, which he helped to increase amongst us during 

 the years that he was a member of it, there can be no doubt 

 that he, on the other hand, was largely indebted to the Society 

 for help and guidance in his scientific pursuits, and he would 

 have been the first himself to acknowledge this indebtedness. 

 Indeed it is this pleasant bond of helpful fellowship which 



