28 LIFE OF FLOWER 



ladies smoking would probably have been too much 

 even for his good-nature and tolerance of other people's 

 little weaknesses. 



This chapter may be fitly brought to a close by 

 referring to the fact that it was largely owing to the 

 advocacy of Sir William that a statue of his intimate 

 friend Huxley was placed in the Central Hall of the 

 Natural History Museum, in company with those of 

 Darwin and Owen, so that u Huxley and Owen, often 

 divided in their lives, would come together after death 

 in the most appropriate place and amidst the most 

 appropriate surroundings." In this Valhalla of men 

 pre-eminent in British biological science of the nineteenth 

 century, Flower's own bust has found its home ; but of 

 this more anon. 



In this connection it may be added that Sir William 

 Flower wrote for the Proceedings of the Royal Society 

 the obituary notice of Sir Richard Owen, who had been 

 his predecessor in his own two most important offices. 

 Despite the fact that Flower had been instrumental in 

 overthrowing at least one of Owen's " pet theories," this 

 biographical notice is written in the kindest and most 

 sympathetic spirit, giving full credit to the " immense 

 labours and brilliant talents " of this truly remarkable 

 man. 



An earlier obituary notice from Flower's pen which 

 appeared in the same journal was devoted to a sketch of 

 the life of George Rolleston, the brilliant Professor of 

 Anatomy and Physiology of Oxford, whose comparatively 

 early death in 1 88 1 was one of the real losses to 

 biological science. 



Of a more varied and popular nature were Flower's 



