Jin iipmortam 



TOM WILSON 



It is with a feeling of deep regret that I put pen to paper to record 

 the life-work of our late lamented colleague and friend, Mr. Tom Wilson, 

 who met his death in a disastrous fire at the Coquihalla Hotel at Hope, 

 B.C., on March 6th, 1917. On the other hand, it is with immense satis- 

 faction that I can call attention to the wonderful influence his life and 

 personality brought to bear on the work of our Entomological Society, 

 as indeed upon the interests of all field naturalists. His intimate knowl- 

 edge of our birds, mammals, plants and insects was nothing short of 

 marvellous, and it was conceded by all who knew him that he represented 

 the best type of field naturalist the Province has enjoyed for a great 

 many years. He could discourse freely upon the habits of many native 

 animals and insects — facts known to only a few but facts learnt by 

 observation and experience — and he could bring his memory to bear 

 onto the distribution of the majority of our native plants and trees. 

 There were few parts of British Columbia where he had not been, after 

 thirty years sojourn in the Province. While the habits of insects and 

 animals attracted his regard to no small extent, it was really upon the 

 mysteries of plant life, growth and ecology, that his mind really loved 

 to dwell. A tramp through the woods, especially on Vancouver Island 

 and on the Lower Mainland, was to his heart its greatest pleasure, and 

 hours spent in his company on such occasions were hours of inspiration 

 and delight. 



He was born at Musselburgh, Scotland, on July 2Sth, 1856. In his 

 early twenties he studied horticulture and forestry, and for a while was 

 employed as foreman in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Edinburgh. India 

 then claimed his attention, to which country he went at the age of 24. 

 Here he was engaged as Superintendent of some tea plantations in 

 Lower India and Burmah. After six years spent in the tropics, he 

 returned to his home in Scotland, only to set sail shortly afterwards for 

 Canada. He was for a time employed on railway construction work 

 on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Transcontinental Railway, and 

 as he used to remark, "he walked into British Columbia before the rail- 

 way was completed." From 1886 until the date of his death he remained 

 in British Columbia — in very truth one of the pioneers of this great 

 Province. In 1896 he was appointed Fruit Inspector in the Provincial 

 Department of Agriculture. In 1900 he entered the service of the 

 Dominion Government as Superintendent of Fumigation, and in 1906 

 the Inspectorship of Indian Orchards was added to his duties. The 

 importance of the work necessary to develop Indian agriculture grad- 



