Obituary— Prof. W. K. Parker. 431 



about in spite of himself and an irresistible force makes him oscillate 

 like a pendulum. 



This see-saw motion of the water, which is the counterpart of the 

 swell on the surface, is felt nearly as much at 30 metres (99 feet) as 

 at 10 metres of depth. 



It cannot be attributed to the surf, due to the vicinity of the 

 coast, since the fishermen who use trawl or drag net upon extensive 

 banks, situated quite out at sea, know that after a storm, these 

 banks at 50 ms. (164 feet) and more, below the level of the sea, are 

 completely swept clear of their usual inhabitants." 



If, then, the movement of the water, as described by M. Fol, is 

 felt at such depths in the Mediterranean Sea, how much more 

 powerful must be the storms or currents of the English Channel 

 to disturb gravel or sand, or temporarily displace the marine fauna? 

 The fact that Molluscs still exist in an area swept by occasional 

 storms and open to currents generated by tidal waves seems scarcely 

 to warrant Mr. Hunt's assumption that tidal action has no influence 

 whatever on the sea-bottom. Make. Stirrup. 



Bowdon, Cheshire. 



OBITUAEY. 



WILLIAM KITCHEN PARKER, F.R.S. 



Born June 23, 1823; Died July 3, 1890. 



The late and deeply lamented Professor William Kitchen Parker, 

 F.R.S., F.L.S., F R.M.S., etc., was born June 23, 1823, and died 

 suddenly July 3, 1890. He was a Biologist in the widest sense of 

 the term, having systematically studied all grades of living organisms 

 in both the Vegetable and the Animal World. His life throughout, 

 from boyhood onward, was largely devoted to the study of the hony 

 structure of Vertebrates, but botanical research in early days, and 

 a wide examination of rhizopodal organisms, were rival pursuits, 

 until his energies, well and bravely continued through ill-health, 

 were more especially given to the elucidation of embryonic mor- 

 phology, or the developmental growth of the skull and other parts 

 of the Vertebrate skeleton. The results of this long-continued and 

 enlightened study gave him a world-wide reputation ; and his lines 

 of research in this pursuit, grounded on the work already done by 

 Rathke, Gegenbauer, and Huxley, have led to a great advancement 

 in Biology, both for professors and students. 



Geologists are indebted to Professor W. K. Parker's knowledge 

 of Osteology for thoughtful notes on the Archajopteryx (Geol. Mag. 

 18G4, pp. 55-57), and on Fossil Birds from the Zebbug Cave in 

 Malta (Proceed. Zool. Soc. 1865, and Trans. Zool. Soc. 1869) ; and 

 his perfect acquaintance with Rhizopoda was shown in the treatment 

 of several series of fossil Foraminifera, in joint papers with others. 

 His rhizopodal studies were taking shape in 1856 (and probably 

 before), when, examining fresh marine material from Bognor, and 

 much larger supplies from Sponge-sands, and from among East- 



