BIOGRAPHICAL. XXXVI 
Rev. GEORGE Low. 
The Rev. George Low, minister of Birsay, a native 
of Edzell, in Forfarshire, was tutor in the family of 
Mr Robert Graham of Stromness from 1771-1773. He 
was licensed by the Presbytery of Cairston in 1771, 
after having completed his divinity course at St. 
Andrews. Round Breckness, for long the home of 
Graham, Low had excellent facilities for studying 
natural history, which we find he did most assidu- 
ously. By the help of microscopes, one of which, a 
water one, he is said to have constructed, he did a 
considerable amount of interesting microscopic work 
which was never published. One can readily under- 
stand from a cursory glance at his “ Tour through 
Orkney and Shetland in 1774” that he was a 
thorough and well-informed field botanist. He is 
every now and again dropping on rare plants, and 
taking special note thereof. It is unfortunate that 
Dr Barry did not acknowledge his indebtedness to 
Mr Low. It was when tutor in Mr Graham’s family 
that Mr Pennant, the celebrated naturalist and anti- 
quary, encouraged him to make the famous “ Tour 
through Orkney and Zetland.” This “Tour” was not 
published till 1879. He was also author of “ Fauna 
Orcadensis,” published in 1813. He married Miss 
Helen Tyrie, only daughter of the parish minister of 
Stromness. Low was a wonderful man; he had all 
the scientific enthusiasm and methodical system of 
Hooker or White of Selborne, but living as he did 
far from the centre of scientific thought, many in- 
superable difficulties arose that prevented his works 
from receiving the recognition they deserved. No 
