196 Charles Lapworth. 



work was based, and the unravelling of the complex of those uplands 

 was logically followed by that of the mneli greater complex of the 

 North- Western Highlands. 



At the outset he found that field- work in the Southern Ui^lands 

 required to be supplemented by study of the fossil evidence, and 

 accordingly devoted himself so assiduously to the study of the 

 graptolites that he rapidly became the leading authority upon this 

 group of organisms, and remained so to the day of his death. In 

 acquiring his knowledge of these animals, he mastered the biological 

 memoirs treating of their nearest living allies, and thus incidentally 

 trained himself as a first-rate palaeontologist. How accomplished 

 he was as such was later shown by his ingenious restoration of the 

 structure of the trilobite, Olenellus (Callavea) Callavei, from study of 

 the imperfect fragments which he discovered in the Cambrian 

 rocks of Comley, 



Again, when solving the riddle of the North- West Highlands, 

 various petrographical questions confronted him, and his study of 

 petrology enabled him here to contribute much to our knowledge of 

 the processes of metamorphism. 



The severe illness developed as the consequence of his work in the 

 Highlands had a permanent* effect upon La])worth, and brought to 

 a close the strenuous days of his field-work. vXlthough he 

 subsequently accomplished much among the old rocks of the classic 

 region of Siluria and elsewhere, the work was not marked by the 

 intense vigour which characterized the prosecution of his earlier 

 labours. When we recognize that in his earlier years he was 

 hampered by want of leisure, and in his later by lack of health, we 

 are amazed at what he actually ])erformed. 



But though his field-work was impeded in later years, the activity 

 of that most original mind was unimpaired. Lapworth's early 

 training in geometry always stood him in good stead, and enabled 

 him readily to visualize in three dimensions. His work in the Uplands 

 and Highlands of Scotland aroused his interest in tectonic problems, 

 and led to the elaboration of his fold theory. He treated of this 

 at much length in his Presidential xlddress to the Geological Section 

 of the British Association at Edinburgh in 1892, and finally turned 

 to it once again in that j^art of his Presidential Address to the 

 Geological Society which deals with geology and physics. Many of 

 the sentences in this are pregnant with meaning, and give us a 

 glimpse of the working.s of the mind of a seer. How one regrets that 

 he had neither time nor opportunity to write a great work upon 

 theoretical geology embodying his riper conclusions ! 



Those who wish to gain a just idea of Lapworth's work should 

 read not only the account given in this Magazine in 1901 but also 

 his own address to the Geological Society. Parts of that address 

 may be regarded as autobiographical, for when he writes of the varied 

 duties of a geologist he is often unconsciously describing his own 

 methods of work in researcli, scientific practice, and education. 



