485 



him continual accessions in every department of natural history. He 

 also introduced the study of botany into the village school at Hitcham, 

 and drew up and printed a list of Hitcham plants. 



Edmund Skepper, son of Breame Skepper, was born October 20th, 

 1825, at Oulton Cottage in Suffolk, an appendage to the Oulton Hall 

 estate, the property of his grandfather. Until he was fourteen his 

 education was conducted at home, then for a few years he was a pupil 

 to the Rev. Clayton, at Bawburgh near Norwich. On leaving School 

 he was apprenticed to a firm of Chemists at Norwich. For a short time 

 he conducted a business at Harwich ; and was afterwards appointed 

 dispenser at the Suffolk General Hospital, Bury St. Edmunds. After 

 some time he entered into partnership with Mr. J. V. Nunn, whose 

 eldest daughter he married in August, 1855. From a child Mr. Skepper 

 made natural history a study, and as he advanced in years made 

 acquaintance with many branches of it. He also gave considerable 

 attention to the theoretical study of Music and became an accomplished 

 vocalist. In his general life he was, from his large store of information 

 and powers of conversation, an interesting companion of genial temper- 

 ament and largely amiable. We are indebted to the Rev. E. N. Bloom- 

 field for the following details of his scientific life. ' I owe my acquain- 

 tance with the late Mr. E. Skepper to our common friend Professor 

 Henslow. At the time I first corresponded with him in 1856, he was 

 studying the Fungi and Diatomacese, and had a fair acquaintance with 

 Phanerogamous Botany. In 1859 Mr. Skepper undertook, at the request 

 of Professor Henslow, to prepare a catalogue of Suffolk plants from the 

 lists, which had been sent to him by local collectors, as he found he 

 would not be able to edit it himself. After the Flora was published I 

 often corresponded with Mr. Skepper, and made some pleasant excursions 

 with him both near Bury and Lowestof t. Those from Bury were generally 

 to Tuddenham St. Mary, taking any interesting locality on our way, as 

 Risby, Cavenham Severals, Icklingham or Barton Mills. Sometimes our 

 principal object was Phanerogams, sometimes Cryptogams, (Mosses, 

 Lichens, &c.,) It was on a trip in search of the latter, Nov. 1st, 1860, 

 that we met with the very rare moss Cinclidium stygium, in good quantity 

 and with plenty of fruit in perfection. On a later occasion we found a 

 patch of Lycopodium clavatum, the only instance, I believe, in which it 

 has been found in Suffolk in recent days. Mr. Skepper's health was not 



