Letters, Extracts, Notices, fyc. 469 



special science as may well claim a few lines of acknowledg- 

 ment in this Journal. Born in Northamptonshire in 1823, 

 Parker passed the early years of his life as apprentice to a 

 chemist and druggist, and showed his taste for natural 

 history by collecting plants, keeping pet animals, and pre- 

 paring skeletons. In 1844-46 he was a student at King's 

 College, London, and became demonstrator to Dr. Todd and 

 Sir William Bowman. Having qualified for practice, he com- 

 menced his medical career at Tachbrook Street, Pimlico, in 

 1849, and soon made himself known amongst the men 

 of science of the metropolis by his laborious investigations, 

 especially in microscopic work. The Foraminifera, both 

 recent and fossil, were selected as special objects of study, 

 and a series of excellent memoirs, partly written in conjunc- 

 tion with Prof. Rupert Jones and other fellow workers, were 

 prepared by him on this subject. These were followed by a 

 series of original and most elaborate investigations on the 

 osteology of different groups of Vertebrates that have made 

 his name ever famous. Parker was elected a Fellow of the 

 Royal Society in 1865, and received a well-earned Royal 

 Medal in 1866. In 1873 he was appointed Hunterian Pro- 

 fessor at the Royal College of Surgeons, and held that post 

 until 1884. Parker's principal ornithological memoirs are : — 

 On the Osteology of Balaniceps rex (Trans. Zool. Soc. iv. 

 p. 269) ; On the Osteology of Gallinaceous Birds and Tina- 

 mous (Trans. Zool. Soc. v. p. 149) ; On some Fossil Birds 

 from the Zebbug Cave, Malta (Trans. Zool. Soc. vi. p. 119) ; 

 On the Osteology of the Kagu (Rhinochetus jubatus) (Trans. 

 Zool. Soc. vi. p. 501) ; On iEgithognathous Birds : Part I. 

 (Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. p. 289), Part II. (ibid. x. p. 251); On 

 the Osteology of Microglossa alecto (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 

 p. 235) ; On the Systematic Position of the Crested Screamer 

 (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 511) ; Remarks on the Skeleton of 

 the Archseopteryx (Geol. Mag. 1864, p. 55) ; On the struc- 

 ture and development of the Skull of the Ostrich Tribe (Phil. 

 Trans. 1866, p. 113) ; On the structure and development of 

 the Skull of the Common Fowl (Phil. Trans. 1869, p. 755) ; 

 On the structure and development of the Crow's Skull 

 ser. vi. — VOL. II. 2 M 



