Obituary Notices. 7 



In my opening address last year I alluded to the deep 

 sorrow wbicli we all felt at the serious illness under which 

 Mr M'Nab w^as labouring, and I then expressed the earnest 

 hope that his valuable life might yet be prolonged for our 

 sakes, and for that of the science which he loved so well. 

 It has, however, been otherwise ordered, and we have been 

 called to mourn over his sad removal from among us, 

 which has left a blank of no ordinary kind. A special 

 obituary notice of our late esteemed Curator was, as was 

 most befitting, communicated to us during our last session 

 by the Eegius Director of the Botanic Garden ; but I 

 should think myself chargeable with unkindness and neglect 

 did I, in my present position, even at the risk of repetition, 

 omit all reference to some of the valuable services which 

 he rendered to botanical science, especially to horticulture. 

 As one of the original members of this Society, which was 

 founded in 1836, he was most diligent and assiduous in 

 his attendance, and contributed largely to its "Transactions." 

 A touching incident occurred only a few days before his 

 death, which shows the great interest which, to the very 

 last, he took in this Society, and the conscientious way in 

 which he discharged his duties towards it. One day, when 

 seriously ill and naturally claiming the constant attention 

 of his attached family, none of whom was willing to be 

 absent from him, he remembered that in the evening our 

 opening meeting for the session took place, and turning 

 to his son, he urged him to go to it as his representative ; 

 "for," he added, " I have never, till now, been absent from 

 any of the opening addresses." It was always a treat to 

 listen to the very interesting monthly reports on the pro- 

 gress of open-air vegetation in the Botanic Garden, and 

 the various readings of the thermometer, which have proved 

 of the highest value to horticulturists and meteorologists ; 

 in connection with the latter, I need only remind you of 

 the very interesting paper by our friend Mr Buchan, " On 

 the Flowering of Spring Plants," and to his acknowledge- 

 ment of his indebtedness to those observations of Mr M'Nab. 

 To all the cognate subjects of botany, horticulture, arbori- 

 culture, landscape gardening, and vegetable climatology 

 he devoted much attention, as his numerous papers scattered 

 through various magazines show ; and many a piece of 



