190 Obituary — The Works of William Davies. 



coiaiaEsi='on:srnDEisrG:B, 



THE SAIGA ANTELOPE IN BRITAIN. 

 SiK, — In the February Number of the GEoiiOGiOAL Magazine, p. 94, 

 is a notice of the discovery of the horns of the Saiga Antelope in 

 the Thames Gravels at Twickenham. An earlier discovery was, 

 however, made some years ago of this northern animal by the late 

 Mr. E.. W. Mylne. The specimens, which consisted of two horn-cores, 

 were shown by him to me, and I submitted them to Mr. G. Busk, 

 who pronounced them to belong to the Saiga Antelope. Unfortunately 

 Mr. Mylne could not say where they came from. He thought from 

 the neighbourhood of Bedford, and said he would make further 

 inquiries. Those inquiries must have failed to elicit anything 

 further, waiting for which has been the reason of this long delay in 

 making the announcement — a reason now removed by the discovery 

 of this new locality and the certainty of British origin. 



Joseph Prestwich. 



The Paljeontological Work of the late William Davies, F.G.S. 



IN Mr. William Davies, whose death we regretted to have to record 

 last month, ^ another link between the present school and the 

 pioneers in British Vertebrate Palaeontology has been severed. His 

 official connexion with the British Museum placed him in the midst 

 of a circle which included Mantell, Owen, Falconer, Agassiz, Egerton, 

 Hugh Miller, and others, at a time when they were actively engaged 

 in prosecuting those researches which form the basis of subsequent 

 investigation. His mind, already imbued with the scientific method 

 and deeply interested in the problems of Natural History, was soon 

 permanently influenced by such associations ; and the result was 

 a keenness of perception in the determination of fragmentary remains 

 of Yertebrata that has rarely been surpassed. In this manner Mr. 

 Davies not only became a trusted ally and adviser of the old school 

 of investigators, but also proved himself one of the best of helpers 

 to the later generations that have succeeded. There ai'e few workers 

 of the last three decades in Vertebrate Palasontology who have not 

 been indebted to Mr. Davies at some time for advice in difficult 

 problems, and there are many who owe much to his kindly manner 

 and the influence of his enthusiasm. 



In his influence upon others, indeed, and in the remarkable skill 

 with which he was able to preserve and mount even the most un- 

 promising fossils, lay Mr. Davies' chief power as a factor in the 

 progress of Palseontology. Wanting the literary training which it 

 was difficult for any but the rich to obtain during his early years, 

 he usually avoided the laborious task of writing an account of his 

 work in a suitable form for publication. His discoveries and con- 

 clusions were always at the service of those who could make best 

 use of them ; and he was never in a happier mood than when 

 1 See Geological Magazine, March, 1891, p. 144. 



