6 1 6 A lexander Goodman More. 



In 1850 he says "Walter (Mr. Walter Shawe-Taylor) carried me off 

 to Ireland where I spent the summer and botanized for the first time." 

 In the same year More entered Trinity College, Cambridge. The fol- 

 lowing summer, 1851, was spent at Castle Taylor, and Viola stagnina 

 discovered in Ireland. He was introduced to Prof. Babington at Cam- 

 bridge and elected Associate of the Ray Club. In 1852 he "began 

 really to study botany," and purchased a number of valuable books 

 dealing with the English and Continental floras. 



At Cambridge he took a certificate in geology, but ill-health pre- 

 vented his completing his college course and trying for the Natural 

 Science Tripos a circumstance always spoken of with keen regret in 

 after-life. Fond of shooting and fishing, he also steered the head boat 

 at Cambridge in May, 1853. At this time he joined the Botanical Society 

 of Edinburgh, and progress in botany consisted chiefly "in the more 

 careful comparison of plants with their descriptions," a study in which 

 his critical eye subsequently excelled and in which he had few equals. 

 Portions of 1854 and 1855 were spent in the West of Ireland, and his 

 first botanical essay appeared, i.e. "Notes on the Flora of Castle 

 Taylor." The following year he was elected F.L.S. In 1857, he was 

 introduced to Mr. H. C. Watson, author of the " Cybele Britannica," 

 and visited him subsequently at Thames Ditton. 



In 1858, in conjunction with Mr. T. Boyd, a paper " On the Geogra- 

 phical Distribution of Butterflies in Great Britain ' ' was published, on 

 the plan of Watson's " Cybele Britannica." At the same time he made 

 an analysis of De Candolle's " Naturalized Plants," and catalogued 

 Dr. Bromfield's herbarium. 



In 1859 some suggestive remarks on the migration of birds appeared 

 in the Zoologist, and More, with the natural pride of a young botanist, 

 says, " Gained the confidence of C.C.B." (Prof. Babington). This was 

 his first year of critical work at botany. 



In 1860 the appendix to Venables' " Isle of Wight Guide" appeared, 

 and the following year he visited Waterton : his stay at Walton Hall 

 with all its curiosities was always remembered with pleasure. 



Watson's plan of the " Cybele Britannica," already applied to the 

 butterflies by More, was now made use of for illustrating the distribu- 

 tion of birds in Great Britain during the nesting season, and materials 

 were diligently collected. So highly was his ^paper on the subject 

 thought of that Prof. Newton alludes to it thus in his article on Orni- 

 thology in the " Encyc. Brit.," Qth Ed., "Though contravening our 

 plan we must for its great merits notice here Mr. More's series of papers 

 in the Ibis for 1865." 



Not content with the Butterflies and Birds of Great Britain, More in 

 1864 again visited Ireland, and to quote the diary, "proposed an Irish 

 Flora to D. M." (Dr. David Moore of Glasnevin). Watson's " Cybele 

 Britannica" did not include Ireland, and we have here the first germ 

 of the " Cybele Hibernica," a work which will always form a conspi- 

 cuous landmark in Irish Botany. Dr. Moore had much of the material 

 already collected ; the application of Watson's system to its arrange- 



