576 Obituary—Searles Valentine Wood. 
graphical Society, in 1871 and 1873. A second supplement followed 
this in 1879, and Mr. Wood was actively engaged up to the day of 
his seizure with fatal illness on another small addition. On the 
completion of the description of the Molluscan remains from the 
Crag, Mr. Wood presented the unrivalled collection of them, which 
he had been forming during thirty years, to the nation ; in order that, 
by being preserved intact in the British Museum, the types of all the 
forms which had been described and figured by him in his work 
(save two or three which belonged to other persons), might be 
available for examination and comparison by naturalists engaged in 
similar labours. : 
He also presented to the nation the valuable collection of vertebrate 
remains (including among them the unique jaws of Alligator 
Hantoniensis, and Microcherus erinaceus), which he had in 1845-5 
extracted from the Eocene Freshwater beds of Hordle Cliff; and 
from which beds up to the time when he commenced to form this 
collection no such remains had been known. These he partially 
figured and described in the London Geological Journal ; but the 
stoppage of that publication brought this part of his labours to an 
unexpected termination. In 1858, having the advantage of an un- 
restricted manipulation of the more extensive collection of Eocene 
Mollusca which had been formed by his friend F. EH. Edwards, he 
commenced the description of the Hocene Bivalvia, Mr. Kdwards 
taking upon himself (and having commenced before this) the Cepha- 
lopoda and Gasteropoda; and several parts of this work were issued 
by the Palezontographical Society. Failure of health put a somewhat 
premature period to Mr. Edwards’ share in this work, but Mr. 
Wood continued his share for some years longer, relinquishing it 
only when, shortly before Mr. Edwards’ death, this collection was 
acquired by the British Museum. During the time in which it re- 
mained in Mr. Edwards’ possession he was accustomed to place in 
Mr. Wood’s care, for study at his leisure, all specimens he possessed 
which in any way illustrated the subject in hand, but this the transfer 
of the collection to the British Museum rendered impracticable; and 
as it was Mr. Wood’s feeling that in addition to that opportunity 
for careful study, all forms as to which any doubt existed ought to be 
carried abroad and compared with those in the Museums of France 
and Belgium, if justice was to be done to the subject, and as at his 
advanced age he was unable to accomplish this, he on the issue of the 
part in the volume of the Palzontographical Society for 1877 re- 
linquished the further prosecution of the ‘‘ Hocene Bivalvia,” though 
he subsequently added a small contribution (both to Mr. Edwards’ 
and his own portion) on special groups of Eocene Mollusca, which 
he was able to do from resources afforded by his own collection and 
the collections of some friends. 
He maintained his activity both of mind and body up to the day 
of his seizure with fatal illness, which took place on the 21st, and 
terminated with his death on the 26th of October last. He was 
buried in the churchyard of Melton, near Woodbridge, in view of the 
Crag of which the study had occupied so much of his life. 
