Obituary— Mr. W. 8. Dallas. 335 



Mr. W. S. Dallas was appointed Curator of the Yorkshire Philo- 

 sophical Society's Museum in York, a post which had been, at an 

 eaidier date, filled by the late Professor Phillips, F.R.S. (of Oxford). 

 Here he resided with his family, now numhering four sons and two 

 daughters, until the close of 1868. 



His life at York, apart from the Museum, was taken up largely 

 with writing for the " Westminster Review," and the preparation of 

 translations of papers for the "Annals" and the "Philosophical 

 Magazine." Mr. Dallas also served, for some years, as one of the 

 staff engaged in the preparation of the " Zoological Record." He 

 was Hon. Sec. of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Club from 1859 to 1869; 

 and, through his friendship with Mr. George Tate, of Alnwick, he 

 was appointed to give a course of lectures each summer to the 

 school maintained by His Grace the Duke of Northumberland in 

 Alnwick ; these lectures were most popular and were always attended 

 by their Graces and the neighbouring families. 



On the retirement of Mr. H. M. Jenkins, F.G.S , M. Dallas was 

 elected Assistant-Secretary to the Geological Society of London, an 

 office which he held, greatly to the benefit of the Society, until his 

 death in May last. 



Mr. Dallas was Editor of the "Annals and Magazine of Natural 

 History" from 1868 to 1890; he was also Editor of the "Popular 

 Science Review " from 1877 to 1880. 



Paralysis, of which he had had premonitory symptoms, terminated 

 his laborious life on the morning of 29th May, in his 67th year. 



In taking a retrospect of Mr. W. S. Dallas's useful but arduous 

 career, one is astonished at the vast amount of important work achieved 

 by him and the small share of recognition which it fell to his lot to 

 receive. But a glance at the nature of that work will suffice to 

 show that by far the largest and most laborious part was occupied 

 by him either as a Curator, an Editor, a Journalist, or as a Translator, 

 in all of which capacities — however well the duties may have been 

 performed — the who? is but small. 



Mi\ Dallas was moreover a man of very retiring habits, yet he 

 enjoyed the warm friendship and regard of John Edward Gray, 

 of Charles Darwin, of Sir Charles Lyell, Prof. Sir Richard Owen, 

 of Geo. R. Waterhouse, of Huxley, S. P. Woodward, Bates and 

 Wallace, T. Rupert Jones, and many other of the older naturalists. 

 He frequently acted as collaborate,ur to Darwin, and indexed his works 

 for him with that loving care which only strong personal attachment 

 could have brought to the task. The writer well remembers the 

 words of Prof. Huxley when commending him to the Council of 

 the Geological Society for the post which he held till his death : 

 " Mr. Dallas is one of the hardest workers that I know." To those 

 who knew him intimately Mr. Dallas will also be remembered for 

 the gentleness and amiability of his disposition, his rare modesty, 

 and for his uniform courtesy to all. 



Works, papers, and translations, by William Sweetland Dallas, 

 F.L.S. 



A List of the Hemipterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. 

 Part i. pp. 368, 11 plates. 1851. Part ii. pp. 369-590, pi. 12-15. 1852. 



