1887-88.] Sir Walter Elliot 343 



one learns fi'om it with how much eagerness he studied the 

 natural history of the l*rovince. His observations appeared 

 in 1839 in the Madras Journal of Science. " The Catalogue 

 of the Mammalia found in the South Mahratta Country" is 

 often referred to by naturalists and sportsmen. The habits 

 of the animals were described, and measurements of each 

 were made by himself. 



In 1836 he returned to India as private secretary to Lord 

 Elphinstone, then Governor of Madras, and the remainder 

 of his service was spent in that Presidency. At the same 

 time he held the appointment of Translator to Government 

 in the Canarese language. On Lord Elphinstone's retire- 

 ment in 1842, he became member of the Board of Eevenue 

 till 1845, when he was sent on special dvity to the Northern 

 Circars, then in an unsettled state. 



Sir Walter printed at Madras in 1859 the Flora Andhrica, 

 or plants of the Northern Circars, a work of nmch value on 

 the Telugu districts, containing the vernacular and botanical 

 names in native and English characters. 



After his return from India Sir Walter submitted a paper 

 at the Edinburgh meeting of the British Association in 

 1871, on the advantage of systematic co-operation among 

 pro\incial natural history societies, so as to make their 

 observations available to naturalists. He stated that while 

 the number of societies was considerable, their operations 

 were limited, and hence that benefit which might be secured 

 did not issue. He believed there was a general desire for 

 co-operation between the members of difierent natural his- 

 tory societies, and while he was not prepared to suggest a 

 means by which this might be secured, he would be glad 

 to hear what members had to say (see in full Trans. Bot. 

 Soc. Edin., 1871). It was greatly owing to this paper and 

 the discussion which followed that the union of local natural 

 history societies was eventually effected. 



In biology he took a keen interest, and was a frequent 

 contributor to not a few journals which deal with his 

 favourite researches. A chronological list of his scientific 

 papers is appended to this notice. All these researches con- 

 tain the results of accurate observations carefully recorded. 



In 1885 an important work was published by him, being 

 vol. iii. pt. 2, of the International Numismata Orientalia, 



