﻿218 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  MALACOLOQICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  help 
  always 
  given 
  ; 
  quite 
  an 
  appreciable 
  amount 
  of 
  time 
  was 
  devoted 
  

   to 
  naming 
  specimens 
  for 
  those 
  unable 
  easily 
  to 
  attend 
  a 
  museum. 
  

  

  He 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  this 
  Society, 
  

   and 
  his 
  successful 
  labours 
  as 
  our 
  Treasurer 
  for 
  years 
  past 
  will 
  be 
  

   known 
  to 
  all. 
  

  

  Individually, 
  he 
  wrote 
  but 
  little; 
  a 
  few 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  Land 
  Shells 
  

   of 
  Gibraltar, 
  British 
  Fauna, 
  descriptions 
  of 
  four 
  Helicoids, 
  and 
  

   critical 
  remarks 
  on 
  Libera 
  and 
  Sculj)taria 
  compi'ise 
  his 
  principal 
  

   contributions. 
  

  

  His 
  main 
  writings 
  were 
  in 
  association 
  with 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Melvill, 
  and 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  the 
  South 
  African 
  land 
  fauna 
  ; 
  over 
  200 
  ncAV 
  species 
  were 
  

   described, 
  and 
  the 
  noteworthy 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  but 
  little-known 
  fauna 
  

   may 
  be 
  realized 
  from 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  their 
  clieck-list 
  published 
  in 
  our 
  

   Proceedings 
  (vol. 
  iii, 
  1898). 
  The 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  papers 
  forms 
  a 
  most 
  

   valuable 
  addition 
  to 
  molluscan 
  literature, 
  and 
  has 
  stimulated 
  the 
  

   collecting 
  and 
  study 
  of 
  this 
  fauna, 
  which, 
  save 
  for 
  the 
  papers 
  of 
  

   Krauss 
  and 
  Sturany, 
  had 
  previously 
  received 
  but 
  little 
  special 
  

   attention. 
  

  

  He 
  also 
  described, 
  with 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  R. 
  Sykes, 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  land 
  shells 
  

   from 
  Tenerife 
  and 
  Burn. 
  

  

  His 
  zeal 
  for 
  accuracy 
  is 
  well 
  illustrated 
  by 
  a 
  quotation 
  from 
  one 
  

   of 
  bis 
  letters, 
  written 
  Avhen 
  there 
  was 
  some 
  question 
  (happily 
  

   unfounded) 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  validity 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  described 
  by 
  him, 
  which 
  he 
  

   desired 
  should 
  be 
  investigated 
  at 
  once 
  — 
  "It 
  is 
  bad 
  enough 
  to 
  make 
  

   a 
  stupid 
  mistake, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  criminal 
  to 
  stick 
  to 
  it." 
  Ever 
  ready 
  to 
  

   accept 
  criticism 
  and 
  weigh 
  it 
  carefully, 
  we 
  have 
  lost 
  a 
  valued 
  Avorker, 
  

   a 
  kind 
  friend, 
  and 
  one 
  who 
  largely 
  helped 
  the 
  study 
  he 
  loved 
  and 
  the 
  

   students 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  E. 
  11. 
  S. 
  

  

  RoBEBT 
  John 
  Lechmere 
  Guppt, 
  

   1836-1916. 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  R. 
  J. 
  L. 
  Guppy, 
  who 
  died 
  at 
  his 
  home 
  in 
  the 
  Island 
  

   of 
  Trinidad, 
  on 
  August 
  5th, 
  1916, 
  the 
  Society 
  loses 
  another 
  of 
  its 
  

   senior 
  members. 
  Mr. 
  Guppy 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  London 
  on 
  August 
  l/ith, 
  

   1836, 
  his 
  father 
  being 
  the 
  Hon. 
  R. 
  Guppy, 
  M.A., 
  Barrister-at-laAV, 
  

   for 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  Mayor 
  of 
  San 
  Fernando, 
  Trinidad. 
  After 
  qualifying 
  

   as 
  a 
  civil 
  engineer 
  young 
  Guppy 
  visited 
  Australia, 
  Tasmania, 
  and 
  

   New 
  Zealand, 
  ultimately 
  settling 
  down 
  in 
  Trinidad, 
  where 
  he 
  helped 
  

   in 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  Cipero 
  Railway, 
  although 
  later 
  he 
  became 
  

   interested 
  in 
  educational 
  work, 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  rewarded 
  Avith 
  the 
  

   important 
  appointment 
  of 
  Chief 
  Inspector 
  of 
  Schools, 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  

   retired 
  in 
  1891, 
  after 
  a 
  service 
  of 
  nearly 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  century. 
  He 
  

   Avas 
  a 
  great 
  student 
  of 
  natural 
  science, 
  and 
  did 
  much 
  to 
  encourage 
  

   the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  societies 
  of 
  Trinidad, 
  serving 
  as 
  President 
  

   of 
  the 
  Scientific 
  Association 
  of 
  Trinidad, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  

   Victoria 
  Institute 
  Board. 
  

  

  His 
  special 
  studies 
  embraced 
  the 
  geology, 
  pal^&<jntology, 
  and 
  

   recent 
  zoology 
  of 
  the 
  "West 
  Indian 
  region 
  generally, 
  although 
  more 
  

  

  