REVIEWS. 



28 



But of my memories. In my earliest childhood I was initiated into 

 the mysteries of entomology by Edward Boscher, of Twickenham. 

 Edward Boscher and Meldola were life-long friends. Together they 

 detected the presence of Xanthia ocellaris at Twickenham, in 1896, 

 about the 6th record for Great Britain. And it was through Edward 

 Boscher in later years that I got to know Professor Meldola, and dis- 

 covered that we were fellow students at the College of Chemistry 

 together, under Edward Frankland, in the " sixties," and that we were 

 mutual friends of Eoland Trimen, Avhom I perhaps last saw in his study 

 at Cape Town Museum, in 1875. Just one point is missed in my little 

 book, and that just the one point which Meldola would have had 

 missed. Perhaps the fact is known only to myself. I feel it should 

 not be lost. That is his munificent assistance to his old life-long friend 

 in his time of old age and bitter adversity. 



Both as a naturalist and as an entomologist Professor Meldola has 

 a claim to our kindly remembrance. He was a Fellow of the Ento- 

 mological Society of London from 1872. (President 1895-96, Vice- 

 President five times, a member of the Council five times.) It is worth 

 noting that Meldola was proposed for Fellowship of the Royal Society 

 as a Biologist by Chas. Darwin — and not as a chemist. The biblio- 

 graphy in my little book records for 1869 three papers in the BJutonw- 

 yist, two entomological. Through the long years his contributions to 

 the same magazine continued until 1913. Then he became involved 

 in the great war, and his whole energies — to the sapping of his strength 

 and life — were engaged in doing what he could — and could do so well 

 — to save his country from the results of its neglect of the science of 

 chemistry. Dr. W. G. Pope concludes his memoir with the remark, 

 "the death of Professor Meldola must be counted amongst our war 

 losses."— C.R.N.B. 



[About a year before his decease the late Professor Meldola had 

 joined the South London Entomological Society for the purpose he 

 said of attending the field meetings and gaining the commune of the 

 members to aid him in his recently taken-up study of the smaller British 

 Lepidoptera. He was present at several of the field meetings during 

 the year 1914 and members who took part on those occasions felt that 

 not only had the Society gained numerically, but that a recruit had 

 been obtained who was not only desirous of learning, but was also able 

 to impart most useful all round information from long years of field 

 work. Alas, the war, we must say, put an end to all our anticipations, 

 and the Society loses ; still greater is the country's loss ! 



In reading the above book I could scarcely believe it possible that 

 I read aright. " Meldola was twice offered a decoration of the Legion 

 of Honour — in 1900 and again in 1907. On both occasions the Foreifpi. 

 Office forhad him to accept the distinction." (The Italics are mine). It 

 is said that governments have no soul. That the governments of 

 England should stoop to this amazing petty interference seems beyond 

 belief. He was treated with the same brutal official contempt as was 

 his beloved science. — H.J.T.] 



The Transactions of the London Natural History Society, 1915, 

 3/-. — This is another admirable Annual, and as usual contains a short 

 summary of the exhibits at the ordinary meetings and the most im- 

 portant papers read. The former section comprises some dozen pages, 



