NOTES AND QUERIES. 383 



collections there, which resulted in the publication of his ' Naturalist's 

 Sojourn in Jamaica,' and his ' Birds of Jamaica,' with an atlas of coloured 

 plates. Finally, settling down at Torquay, he devoted his attention almost 

 entirely to the marine fauna, and the results of his research appeared from 

 time to time in such works as his ' Naturalist's Ramble on the Devonshire 

 Coast,' ' The Aquarium,' ' A Manual of Marine Zoology,' and ' Tenby, 

 a Seaside Holiday.' His most important work doubtless was his ' Actino- 

 logia Britannica, a history of the British Sea Anemones and Corals,' which 

 was finished in 1860 ; but this by no means concluded his literary labours, 

 for besides the works above mentioned he produced a ' Natural History 

 of Fishes,' a ' Text-book of Zoology for Schools,' a ' Manual of Marine 

 Zoology,' 'The Romance of Natural History,' 'A Year at the Shore,' 

 ■ Evenings at the Microscope,' and some others; while the Royal Society's 

 Catalogue of Scientific Papers to the end of 1873 includes some sixty 

 separate memoirs from his busy pen. Amongst these should be specially 

 mentioned two memoirs on the natural history of the Rotifera, contributed 

 to the Transactions of the Royal Society, of which learned body he was 

 elected a Fellow in 1856 ; his other papers being contributed to the ' Annals 

 and Magazine of Natural History,' the ' Popular Science Review,' the 

 ' Intellectual Observer,' and ' The Zoologist,' in which last-named periodical 

 his earliest essays appeared. His latest work, undertaken in conjunction 

 with Mr. C. T. Hudson, appeared in parts under the title of ' The Rotifera 

 or Wheel Animalcules,' and formed, when completed in 1886, two goodly 

 quarto volumes. Since that date, gradually failing health necessitated a 

 rest from work until, on the 23rd of last month, he passed peacefully away, 

 at St. Marychurch, Torquay, at the age of seventy-eight years. As an 

 excellent out-door naturalist and an accurate reporter of what he had himself 

 observed, Mr. Gosse, in his own line, was well nigh unsurpassed. To his 

 teaching hundreds are indebted for their love for Natural History, and the 

 cultivation of a taste which his agreeable writings did so much to encourage 

 and enlighten. 



Meeting of the British Association at Bath.— In Section D (Biology) 

 the opeuing address was delivered by Mr. Thiselton-Dyer, C.M.G., F.R.S., 

 President of the Section. It was devoted chiefly to a consideration of the 

 present position and progress of Botany in this country, and will be found 

 reported at length in ' Nature,' Sept. 13th. Mr. Dyer concludes thus : — 

 " To sum up my argument. I believe I have shown you that at the bottom 

 of every great branch of biological enquiry it has never been possible to 

 neglect the study of plauts ; nay, more, that the study of plant-life has 

 generally given the key to the true course of investigation. Whether you 

 take the problems of geographical distribution, the most obscure points in 

 the theory of organic evolution, or the innermost secrets of vital phenomena, 



