1886-87.] Dt James Gilchrist. 9 



Physiology, which were a great source of pleasure to him 

 and of profit to those who attended them. 



He was emphatically a field botanist and geologist, and 

 the large collections wdiich he with his own hands gathered 

 testify to the zeal and constancy with wdiich he follow^ed 

 out his favourite sciences. He was chosen president of the 

 Field Club of Dumfries, and exercised a decided and health- 

 ful influence by broadening, extending, and giving a fine tone 

 to its scientific spirit. 



He was quiet in his manner, but hospitable, generous, 

 and benevolent, and was ever ready to help in every good 

 work. For many years he offered an annual prize in the 

 botanical class for the best essay on some specified subject. 

 This practice he began in 1859 — the prize for that year 

 being for " the best and approved collection of fossil plants 

 from Mid-Lothian." No competitor for it appeared, and as 

 the prize was again offered with a like result in 1860 and 

 1861, he varied the subject in 1862. The prize offered was 

 for " the best and approved essay on the Affinities of the 

 Orders Umbelliferse, Galiacese, Valerian acese, Dipsacacese, and 

 Compositse. This prize was gained by Mr John Thomson, 

 Nairn. In 1863 a new subject was selected, the prize for 

 that year being for " the best and approved essay on the 

 so-called Parthenogenesis " ; and it is very interesting to find 

 that this prize was gained by Lauchlan Aitken, Stirlingshire, 

 who afterwards still further distinguished himself while 

 assistant to Sir James Y. Simpson, and still later as an 

 able and accomplished physician at Pome, whose premature 

 removal we have so recently been called to mourn. 



In that year (1863) Dr Gilchrist seems to have offered 

 another prize for " the best and approved series of Micro- 

 scopical Preparations illustrating the Structure of the Ovary 

 and Ovules." In 1874 he offered a prize of two guineas for 

 " the best and approved Peport on the Fossil Flora of the 

 district within 10 miles of Edinburgh." This was nearly 

 the same subject which he had proposed in 1859, and wdiich 

 in that and the two following years called forth no response 

 from the students ; and strange to say, for a similar period 

 of three years, viz., 1874, 1875, and 1876, the offer was 

 attended with a similar result. But Dr Gilchrist was not 

 to be disheartened, and borrowing, no doubt, a hint from 



