236 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



something very like a complete collection in 1890. As a general 

 naturalist he was known as Chairman of the Essex and Kent Sea 

 Fisheries, a Fellow of the Linnean Society, of the Essex Archaeo- 

 logical Society and Field Club, of which last he was President for ten 

 years. He was the only son of Mr. Edward Fitch, of London, and 

 was born on February 23rd, 1854. He married a daughter of the 

 late Mr. Isaac Belsham, of Rayleigh, and leaves five sons and four 

 daughters. — C. M. 



Robert Shelford, M.A., F.E.S. 



The tragic and premature death of Robert Shelford has removed 

 a most active and competent entomologist in the prime of his career, 

 before the completion of his work. 



He was born on August 3rd, 1872, at Singapore, and so w^as 

 within a few weeks of completing his fortieth year. 



Educated at first privately, and then at King's College, London, 

 he proceeded to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he passed 

 second in Science. His first appointment was at Leeds, as Teacher 

 in Physiology, but this he soon gave up in favour of an offer more 

 tempting to a man of his temperament, the Curatorship of the 

 Museum at Kuching, Sarawak, under Rajah Brooke. After serving 

 here seven years he returned to England to take up an appointment 

 in the Hope Department of the -University Museum of Zoology at 

 Oxford, where he devoted himself with enthusiasm to the task of 

 arranging the rich collection of Orthoptera, with the result that 

 before long he found himself involved in the entire reorganization of 

 the BlattidiB ; he rapidly acquired an unrivalled knowledge of this 

 group, examined a very large number of types from most of the 

 museums in the world, and published a valuable and important series 

 of papers, in various periodicals, dealing with his speciality. Had 

 he been spared a few more years, he would have doubtless given us 

 an entire monograph of the recent cockroaches. 



His general scientific education, and his seven years in the 

 gorgeous tropics of Sarawak, gave him a breadth of outlook upon 

 scientific problems which he expressed in terse and crisp language. 

 In addition to his special work he published articles on Bornean 

 Anthropology and Folk-lore, and upon Mimicry in Bornean Iiisects, 

 and he whiled away some of the tedium of his last years, spent in 

 almost constant suffering, by writing a book upon his observations 

 of tropical nature in Sarawak. He left the MS. unfinished, but it is 

 to be hoped that part at least will yet see the light. 



About three years ago, the complaint which had already severely 

 handicapped him assumed an aggravated form, and under medical 

 advice he moved to Margate, where he lingered on, reclining con- 

 stantly on his back, obliged to abandon all hope of future activity. 

 He bore the cruel disappointment with great fortitude, till his 

 sufferings, becoming more and more acute and practically incessant, 

 drove him to desperation. 



Thus Entomology has lost a devoted servant, who had already 

 achieved distinction, and cut off in the prime a most promising 

 scientific career. — M. B. 



