a little instruction from Martin and Bridge, I had to pick up every- 

 thing as I went on. I feel often quite aghast to think of my utter 

 ignorance of t^e whole business when I began to demonstrate for 

 Huxley ; fully nine-tenths of the things I had never seen until I got 

 into the laboratory, and how the students, to say nothing of the 



* General,' stood it (' General ' being a term by which Huxley 

 was usually known in the college) is a mystery to me." The 

 working-out of Huxley's splendidly conceived plan of practical 

 teaching of Biology was left largely in Parker's hands, and he 

 was thereby afforded every opportunity for developing his powers 

 both as a teacher and an organiser. Most successfully did he 

 fulfil the task, and in the course of the eight years which he devoted to 

 its development there came under his influence many persons now 

 occupying prominent positions in the biological world, to whom his 

 memory will be ever dear as that of a trusty guide and a true friend. 

 Parker's demonstrations were well worthy the lectures of his great 

 chief; and in the intervals between the courses of instruction he 

 gradually organised a teaching collection, and made, in more direct 

 connection with the work of the laboratory, a number of exquisite 

 dissections with accompanying drawings of representative animal forms. 

 In this it was the good fortune of the present writer to assist, and 

 copies of the drawings, now on the walls of the Biological Laboratory 

 at South Kensington, were in course of time furnished to many of the 

 universities and colleges in the United Kingdom, America, and on the 

 continent of Europe. In this way Parker will ever be remembered as 

 the foremost agent in the development of the Huxleyan method of 

 laboratory instruction ; and while it was to him that the more signifi- 

 cant modifications undergone by this method up to the time of his 

 leaving England were due, it is interesting to note that of all 

 those who were prominently concerned in its inception, he alone con- 

 tinued to teach both Botany and Zoology to the end of his career. 



Early imbued with a desire to emulate his great chief, Parker, in the 

 intervals of official work, commenced writing, and amongst the more 

 popular articles which emanated from his pen may be mentioned the 

 biological portions of the " Recent Science," in the early numbers of the 



* Nineteenth Century,' and the article " Carnivora " in ' Cassell's Natural 

 History' (which he wrote in conjunction with his father), together 

 with critical reviews, contributed to the pages of contemporary scientific 

 journals. 



Parker's original researches during the period of his service under 

 Huxley were undertaken on his own initiative, the great master being 

 far too engrossed in his own special occupations, and abstracted by 

 polemical and other responsibilities imposed by an eager multitude, to 

 be able to take much personal interest in those working under him. 

 The earlier among Parker's scientific papers, viz., those dealing 



