PRESENTATION OF TABLET 71 



botany and zoology, geology and meteorology, and 

 human history besides, were grist to his scientific mill ; 

 he was a fine type of the local naturalist, as keen as 

 Dr. Trail is for regional surveys, or the study of local 

 faunas and floras, for science, like charity, begins at 

 home. 



MacGillivray had a great interest in the history of 

 natural history, and wrote an interesting book there- 

 upon. It is curious that one of his successors, the late 

 Professor Alleyne Nicholson, did likewise ; and that yet 

 another has followed the same fascinating path. Some 

 one has spoken of his independence, and of this and of 

 his great good humour there is interesting evidence in 

 a manuscript entitled The Two Ornithologists in the 

 library, where he relates a real or supposed quarrel with 

 Audubon, for whom he apparently did more work than 

 he ever got credit for. As one looks at the memorial 

 one cannot help remembering that MacGillivray was in 

 a way an artist both with pen and pencil. His style is 

 delightful ; his handwriting must to many of us seem 

 marvellous. It equals the memorial inscription in beauty, 

 and excels it in legibility. 



But I had almost forgotten the most important thing 

 I have to say. MacGillivray was one of a grand body 

 of workers who raised natural history (as he says 

 without personal reference) from a position of contempt 

 to the highest dignity. What was their secret ? Was 

 it not, in part at least, as MacGillivray says somewhere 

 else, that Nature always reveals herself to those who 

 approach her with humility and with affection. 



