MiiPRODUCTION. 
THE LIFE AND WORK 
OF 
WALTER PERCY SLADEN, F.LS., F.G.S., F.Z.S. 
By Henry Bory, M.A., F.L.S.* 
Water Percy SLADEN was born on June 30th, 1849, at Meerclough House, near 
Halifax (Yorkshire), in a district with which his family had been associated for more 
than 300 years. Kducated at Hipperholme Grammar School, and afterwards at 
Marlborough, his devotion to science and his exceptional powers of organisation led his 
schoolfellows to call him “the Astronomer Royal”; but though his scientific tastes 
were at this time very wide, Botany, Zoology, and Chemistry (with which he had more 
than a superficial acquaintance) were from the first his favourite pursuits. Unfortu- 
nately, however, our great Public Schools afford but little opportunity for such studies, 
and therefore his real education in science did not begin until he took up his permanent 
residence at Halifax. 
Here a small band of earnest students of Nature used at that period to meet 
together for the discussion of scientific problems ; and before long, under the able 
leadership of the Curator of the Museum (the late Mr. A. Campbell), they entered upon 
a study of such forms of life, both recent and fossil, as the Museum afforded. In this 
way a large variety of Vertebrates were dissected and their skeletons prepared ; but 
for an adequate examination of the Invertebrates something more was required, and 
consequently expeditions were undertaken to various places on the west and south 
coasts, where, by dredging or other methods, the leading types of marine life could be 
more satisfactorily studied. 
Among these workers Sladen soon took a prominent place. None was more pains- 
taking, none more skilled in microscopic methods and drawing, while his familiarity 
with the leading European languages enabled him to study with great profit the foreign 
literature connected with his work. It was, in fact, in these surroundings that he 
obtained his first real training as a Zoologist. He attended no University, and no 
regular course of lectures; but with the assistance of his colleagues, and still more by 
* The writer of this article has borrowed largely from obituary notices by the late Prof. Howes (Proc. Linn. 
Soc., Session 113, pp. 48-50, 1900-1901; and ‘ Nature,’ July 12th, 1900) and Mr. W. Cash (Proe. Yorks. Geol. & 
Polytech. Soc. vol. xiv. pt. 2, pp. 261-268, 1901). He is also indebted to Prof. I’, Jeffrey Bell for valuable 
criticism of Sladen’s scientific work. 
SECOND SERIES.— ZOOLOGY, VOL. XII, Cc 
