278 OBITUARY NOTICES. 



FREDERICK ANTHONY PARSONS, F.R.IVi.S. 



It is with very great regret we have to record the death on February 

 7th of Frederick Anthony Parsons, in his eighty-fifth year. 



Mr. Parsons had been engaged as an Engineer's Draughtsman, 

 until he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Royal Rlicro- 

 scopical Society in 1896. He held this post until 1912, and on 

 retiring he was nominated as a Fellow by the Council, in recog- 

 nition of his long and valued service, and presented with a 

 testimonial and an address at the meeting held June 19th, 1912. 

 He was a member of the Quekett Microscopical Club for a few 

 months short of half a century, and during that time served for 

 many years as Secretary to the Excm'sions Committee. It was 

 on April 19th, 1884, on one of the Club's annual visits to the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, that he was fortunate in first 

 finding specimens of the freshwater Hydroid Polyp, a biological 

 discovery of much importance. It was taken from the Victoria 

 Regia tank, where a few years previously had been found the 

 Medusoid form which had been described by Prof, (now Sir) E. 

 Ray Lankester, under the name Limnocodium Sowerbyi. 



His kindliness, his enthusiasm in microscopical matters, the 

 thoroughness and neatness which were marked features in every- 

 thing he did, will be long remembered by all who knew him, 

 Mr, E, M, Nelson writes, " No microscopist I have ever met was 

 more ready than he to help not only in the department of pond 

 life, but also in that of the mechanical construction of the 

 microscope, for he possessed a good knowledge of mechanical 

 engineering," 



