XIV BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER. 



to work out all the birds. Soon after the return of the expedition in 

 1877 the specimens of birds collected were placed in his hands, and 

 with the assistance of his ornithological friends were speedily reported 

 upon in a series of papers contributed to the Zoological Society's 

 *' Proceedings." The whole of these papers were reijrinted with addi- 

 tions and illustrations, and now form part of the second volume of 

 the "Zoology" of the Challenger expedition. 



Geography, being very closely connected with zoology, has always 

 commanded Mr. Sclater's hearty interest. He became a life mem- 

 ber of the Royal Geographical Society in 1880, and has attended its 

 meetings regularly ever since. He has also served two years on the 

 council, and is a member of the Geographical Club. He has assisted 

 in promoting many researches in foreign parts, chiefly, however, with 

 a view to obtaining collections of natural history from strange j)laces. 

 Among these may be especially mentioned Sir H. H. Johnston's expe- 

 dition to Kilima-Njaro in 1884 and Professor Balfour's visit to Soco- 

 tra in 1880. He also took a leading part in sending out naturalists 

 to Kerguelen Land and Rodriguez, along with the transit-of- Venus 

 expeditions of 1874-75, and in many other similar efforts to explore 

 little-known parts of the earth's surface. At the present time he is 

 serving on two committees of this kind — one for the investigation of 

 the fauna and flora of the Lesser Antilles, and the other for the fur- 

 ther exploration of the fauna of the Hawaiian Islands. In both of 

 these countries collectors are actively at work. 



In 1884 he took advantage of the opportunity of the visit of the 

 British Association to Montreal to cross the Atlantic a second time, 

 and after the meeting to visit the LTnited States. He was not in 

 good health at that period, and did little, if anything, in the way of 

 zoology. But he had the pleasure of seeing several of his former 

 friends, especially Lawrence and Baird, and of making the personal 

 acquaintance of Mr. Ridgway, Mr. Allen, Mr. Brewster, Dr. Merriam, 

 and many other naturalists. 



One of his closest friends was the late Professor Huxley, long a 

 member of the Council of the Zoological Society, where he was one of 

 Mr. Sclater's most constant sui^porters. Professor Huxley, it may be 

 said, was the chief advocate of the project of employing an anatomist 

 at the society's gardens, and invented the title ' ' prosector " for the 

 new office. A. II. Garrod, who became prpsector in 1871, and W. A. 

 Forbes, who succeeded him in 1871) — both very talented and promis- 

 ing young naturalists, — were dear friends of Sclater, and the unfor- 

 tunate death of Forbes during the excursion to the Niger in 1883 

 was a most severe blow to him. Notable among his other friends 

 was Charles Darwin, who frequently visited him in his office, bring- 

 ing long lists of memoranda for conference. 



Mr. Sclater married in 1862 Jane Anne Eliza Hunter Blair, daughter 

 of the late Sir David Hunter Blair, baronet, of "Blairquhan," in Ayr- 

 shire. He has five children, of whom four are sons. The eldest, 



