148 Notes and Comments. 



in the female : The palpi cf male mosquitos both anopheline 

 and culicine are long and furnished with long hairs which 

 together with the plumose antennae give the head of the male 

 mosquito a feathery appearance. The palpi in the female 

 anopheline are simple slender rod-like structures and are 

 as long as the proboscis whilst in the female culicine they are 

 short, insignificant appendages. There are three species of 

 anophelines found in the British Isles, viz., A. maciilipennis, 

 A. hifurcatus and A. plumbetis (nigripes). Copies of a circular 

 giving details of the various species may be had free from Mr. 

 Grove, who asks for the help of our readers in the investigations. 



DR. WILLIAM G. SMITH. 



We are pleased to learn that Dr. William G. Smith, B.Sc, 

 Lecturer in Botany in the East of Scotland Agricultural College, 

 has accepted the presidency of the Yorkshire Naturalists' 

 Union for 191 9. Dr. Smith is a native of Dundee, and after 

 taking his B.Sc. degree at St. Andrew's University, went to 

 Munich to study plant diseases under Hartig and Tubeuf. 

 Here he made investigations on the deformation of stems and 

 leaves caused by species of Exoascus, and in 1894 obtained the 

 degree of Ph.D. A year or two later he was appointed head 

 of the Botanical Department at the University of Leeds, where 

 he remained 10 years, during which time he was an active 

 member of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, and not only did 

 much to develop the department under his charge, but by his 

 hard work and enthusiasm made a lasting impression on all 

 who came under his influence. Soon after coming to Leeds, 

 his brother, Robert Smith, died, ending a career of exceptional 

 promise. Bringing to this country the inspiration of Prof. 

 Flabault of Montpellier, under whom he studied, Robert Smith 

 commenced a Botanical Survey of the Edinburgh District and 

 Northern Perthshire, and in 1900 published the first maps of 

 British Vegetation. Dr. Smith, recognising the importance of 

 this work, at once took it up, and commenced studies on similar 

 lines in West Yorkshire, and Vegetation Maps and memoirs 

 dealing with these areas, were prepared in co-operation with 

 his students C. E. Moss and W. M. Rankin. These publications 

 served to firmly establish the Study Ecology in this country, 

 and at a little meeting attended by four botanists at the house 

 of Dr. Smith, the British Vegetation Committee was founded, 

 which, after many years of active work, developed into the 

 present British Ecological Society, whose Journal is the leading 

 publication in this branch of Botany. For several years Dr. 

 Smith acted as Secretary and did much to secure the success 

 of the Society, and last year he was elected its President. The 

 Executive of the Union has made a wise and popular choice, 

 for Dr. Smith has not only made many important contributions 



Naturalist, 



