OBITUARY NOTICES. 105 



under his guidance. His death on August 7tli, after a brief 

 illness following on a period of indifferent health, for some years, 

 is a much -to-be-regretted termination of a busy, helpful and 

 fruitful career. 



West was early attracted to the study of the Fresh-water Algae, 

 doubtless influenced by his father, with whom he co-operated 

 in investigations on the Desmids. For some years before his 

 death he was the leading British expert on the Fresh -water Algae, 

 and collections from all parts of the world were entrusted to him 

 for investigation, and supplied the material for numerous careful 

 systematic papers published in the Journal of Botany, the Journal 

 and Transactions of the Linnean Society, and elsewhere. His 

 account of the British Desmids occupies four volumes of the 

 Ray Society's publications, and a fifth volume was in prepara- 

 tion at the time of his death. Other important publications 

 are"; his Treatise on British Fresh-water Algae (1904), and the 

 volume on the Myzophyceae, Peridinieae, Bacillarieae,and Chloro- 

 phyceae (1916), the first of the series of Cambridge Botanical 

 Handbooks. 



West was an excellent draughtsman, and has left a large series 

 of drawings of Fresh-water Algae, both British and foreign ; these 

 are bequeathed to the Department of Botany of the British 

 Museum ; his library and specimens will find a home in his own 

 Department at Birmingham University. Fortunately there are 

 pupils, trained in his careful methods of investigation, to carry 

 on his work, and it is hoped that one of these. Dr. Nellie Carter, 

 may be able to complete the work on British Desmids under the 

 auspices of the Ray Society. 



Members of the Quekett Club will recall an interesting com- 

 munication by Prof. West on two African species of Volvox, 

 read at the meeting on April 9th, 1918 ; this was in continuation 

 of a paper appearing in the Journal, xi. pp. 99-104. The election 

 of Prof. West as an Honorary Member of the Club took place 

 at the meeting on October 8th, 1918. 



A. B. R. 



