BIOGRAPHICAL. xlv 
of his great scientific attainments, the University of 
St. Andrews conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. 
He was besides a Fellow of the Linnzean Society, and 
of the Royal Botanical Society of Edinburgh, and a 
member of the Ray Society. Dr Boswell was the 
most eminent authority of the day on eritical and 
doubtful British plants, and such plants, together 
with new discoveries, were constantly submitted to 
him for classification. He formed a most valuable 
herbarium of British and European species, and also 
made a valuable entomological collection. In the 
garden of Balmuto he had a fine collection of bulbs, 
irises, and helibores, besides a number of other 
interesting British and foreign plants. For the last 
few years of his life he was debarred by tailing health 
from active work, but up to the last his interest in 
scientific matters never flagged. He was naturally of 
an unassuming disposition ; only those who knew him 
personally understood the extent of his researches, the 
soundness of his conclusions, and the value of his 
opinions on almost every subject. . . The loss to 
the scientific world, as well as to his friends, can 
hardly be over-estimated. He leaves a widow, a 
daughter, and two sons, the elder of whom is now 
representative of the old family of Boswells of 
Balmuto, and is preparing for the Scottish Bar.” 
Mr Patrick NEILL. 
Just about one hundred years after the publica- 
tions of the Wallaces—father and son—on Orkney, 
we get a deeply interesting account of these islands, 
especially their flora, from the pen of Patrick Neill, 
