CHAPTEE XII 



1881 



THE last ten years had found Huxley gradually 

 involved more and more in official duties. Now, 

 with the beginning of 1881, he became yet more 

 deeply engrossed in practical and administrative 

 work, more completely cut off from his favourite 

 investigations, by his appointment to an Inspector- 

 ship of Fisheries, in succession to the late Frank 

 Buckland. It is almost pathetic to note how he 

 snatched at any spare moments for biological re- 

 search. No sooner was a long afternoon's work at 

 the Home Office done, than, as Professor Howes 

 relates, he would often take a hansom to the labora- 

 tory at South Kensington, and spend a last half-hour 

 at his dissections before going home. 



The Inspectorship, which was worth 700 a year, 

 he held in addition to his post at South Kensington, 

 the official description of which now underwent 

 another change. In the first place, his official connec- 

 tion with the Survey appears to have ceased this 

 year, the last report made by him being in 1881. 



VOL. II U 



