LAST YEARS. 319 



kester, who was aware of the great mass of data collected 

 by my father, to place himself in relation with the latter. 

 He did so, and the elder naturalist, with complete unselfish- 

 ness, hastened to lay all that he possessed at the disposal 

 of the younger. It was, indeed, a singular gratification 

 to Philip Gosse, at this the close of his career, to find 

 his work appreciated, and to be able to help one who 

 was progressing along the same little-trodden path as 

 himself. Dr. Hudson was the latest and one of the 

 warmest of my father's friends, and the compilation of 

 his share of the two splendid volumes on The Rotifera, 

 which have their combined names on the title-page, became 

 the principal, as it was the most delightful, occupation of 

 my father from 1879 until the publication in 1886. The 

 issue of the final periodical part of this work was greeted 

 with a melancholy satisfaction by my father, who recog- 

 nized very clearly that the real labour of his lifetime was 

 closed. He was in his seventy-seventh year, and he was 

 thoroughly conscious that he could never again hope to start 

 another undertaking of this serious nature. Yet he was 

 delighted to handle these volumes, the children of his old 

 age, and to realize that he had lived to complete the pub- 

 lication of all his main discoveries. In reply to the objec- 

 tions of a member of his family, who cavilled at the fact 

 that more prominence was given on the title-page of The 

 Rotifera to the younger than to the elder naturalist, the 

 latter replied as follows : — 



"Your judgment will probably be modified, when you 

 " are better acquainted with the facts. My position on the 

 *' title-page was the subject of much discussion between 

 " Dr. Hudson and me ; and I chose decisively that 

 " * assisted by P. H. Gosse ' should be the mode, contrary 

 " to his luish. He has, throughout, been most lovingly 

 *' considerate of my wishes, and only too ready to put 



