LIFE OF FLOWER 99 



on every possible occasion he emphasised his conviction 

 of the necessity of studying (and arranging in museums) 

 living and extinct mammals together, if we wish to 

 make our science really practical. 



As a matter of fact he had the strongest possible 

 objection to the recognition of " palaeontology " as a 

 science apart from zoology, and he even went so far as to 

 mildly rebuke (in his own inimitably courteous and 

 gentle manner) the present writer, for venturing to offer 

 to the public a volume on that subject. To a great ex- 

 tent, no doubt, he was perfectly right in this contention, 

 although there are points of view from which " palae- 

 ontological" works are decidedly convenient, even if their 

 existence and production cannot be logically justified. 



As regards the particular groups of mammals (other 

 than man) in which Flower was more especially in- 

 terested, there can be no doubt that the Cetacea (whales 

 and dolphins) occupied the first position. And on this 

 subject he was undoubtedly one of the first authorities, 

 his only possible rivals in this country, at anyrate, 

 being Sir William Turner and Professor Struthers. 

 Next to this group came, perhaps, the marsupials, 

 in which a most important discovery was made by 

 Flower in regard to the succession and replacement of 

 the teeth. 



Not even the most sympathetic of biographers would 

 attempt for one instant to assume that his hero if a 

 zoologist could by any possibility be infallible ; and it 

 has to be recorded that many changes and amendments 

 have had to be made in Flower's conclusions. Perhaps, 

 indeed, Sir William has been to some extent especially 

 unfortunate in this respect, owing to the extreme im- 



