Professor James Geilcie. 243 



the Council awarded him the gold raedal of the Society, and invited 

 him to have his portrait painted for the Society's hall. Professor 

 James Greikie has for many years acted as Honorary Editor of the 

 Society's organ, the Scottish Geographical Magazine, one of the best 

 scientific journals extant. 



His long connexion with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society 

 induced him frequently to bring before his associates the importance 

 of geology to all serious students of geographical science, and he 

 summed up much of what he had advanced, in lectures and papers 

 on the subject, in Earth Sculpture or the Origin of Land Forms 

 (1898 ; last edition, 1909). Dr. Geikie has now in the press another 

 similar work dealing with the borderland of geology and geography, 

 but treating more especially of mountains. Meanwhile his interest 

 in the history of the Ice Age has not abated. A few months ago he 

 delivered a course of lectures in the University (under the ' Munro 

 Foundation') on the "Antiquity of Man in Europe", in which the 

 subject was discussed mainly from the geological point of view. 



As a teacher Professor Geikie has of course endeavoured to giA^e as 

 wide a view of the stony science as one man can be expected to do. 

 In the early ' eighties ' he had to do all the work of his department 

 single-handed, lecturing, demonstrating minerals, rocks, and fossils 

 in the laboratory, as well as conducting field excursions. By and by, 

 however, the department was strengthened by the appointment of 

 able lecturers and assistants, and is now probably as well equipped as 

 any similar school in the kingdom. 



Students of applied science are, as might be expected, more keenly 

 interested in practical work than in palseontological research or 

 historical geology. From the fi.rst, therefore. Dr. Geikie endeavoured 

 to meet their special requirements by devoting the summer term to 

 the study of structural and field geology, and in 1898 he issued 

 a textbook on the subject, which has gone through three editions 

 (the last appearing in 1912), so that the book has apparently met 

 a 'felt want'. Some years ago he began to form a lending and 

 consulting ' class library ' for the use of his students, which has 

 now grown to respectable dimensions, thanks largely to generous 

 contributions of geological literature from his brother. Sir Archibald 

 Geikie. It contains upwards of 5,000 volumes, and many thousands 

 of ' separates' from the scientific journals of this and other countries, 

 besides a large collection of geological maps. This library (with the 

 consent of his brother) has been presented to the University. 



While busy enough with his duties as a teacher, Professor Geikie 

 yet found time to take part in the administration of the University, 

 having acted since 1891 as Convener of the Science Degrees Committee, 

 and subsequently, after a Faculty of Science had been instituted by 

 the Royal Commission in 1894, his colleagues did him the honour to 

 elect him their Dean, an official position which he still holds. Since 

 James Geikie joined the Univei'sity in 1882 great changes have taken 

 place. Not only have several new Chairs in the Faculty of Science 

 been founded, but numerous additional lectureships have been 

 instituted, and the whole system of teaching has been in a measure 

 revolutionized. More especially is this noticeable in practical work — 



