PilOCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETT. 65 



OBITUARY NOTICES. 



It is with raucli regret that we chronicle the death of Mr. 8. I. 

 Da Costa, one of the original members of the Society. He was born 

 on June 1st, 1827, and died on the 28th of the same month last 

 year, just over 80 years of age. Mr. Da Costa was for many years 

 an enthusiastic collector of land, fresh-water, and marine shells from 

 all parts of the world, but some years ago he parted with most of the 

 marine forms and restricted his acquisitions chiefly to terrestrial 

 species, especially those from the South American Continent, the 

 beauty and extent of his series from that region being the admiration 

 of conchologists, whom he was always pleased to welcome to his 

 house. 



From the first ordinary meeting of the Society on May 12th, 1893, 

 Mr. Da Costa was a constant exhibitor of new or interesting species, 

 and he took a close interest in the progress and management of the 

 Society, and between the years 1895 and 1907 was six times elected to 

 serve on the Council. He was not a prolific writer, having written 

 only ten short papers of a purely descriptive character, all, with one 

 exception, published in the Society's "Proceedings." These were 

 invariably fully illustrated with plates or text-figures, to the cost of 

 which he was always pleased to make a handsome contribution. 



Mr. Da Costa had a very striking personality, and displayed a most 

 genial manner towards his many conchological friends. In his early 

 career he was engaged in engineering, but subsequently he became 

 a member of Lloyds, and twice had the honour of being elected 

 chairman of that body. 



In concluding this brief notice it is most gratifying to state that, in 

 accordance with the wish he many times expressed to his family, 

 all the types in his collection have been placed in the liritish Museum 

 by his son, at whose request the donation is to be regarded " as a gift 

 in the name of my father." 



The rest of Mr. Da Costa's collection was dispersed by public 

 auction last October, and many were the beautiful and interesting 

 shells which found new possessors. 



E. A. S. 



Miss Caroline Birley, whose death occurred last year in her 

 56th year, became a member of this Society in 1894, and frequently 

 attended its meetings. She was perhaps more attached to the science 

 of geology than to the study of recent Mollusca, and was a very 

 enthusiastic collector of fossils, in the course of years accumulating 

 quite a large collection for a private individual. Some of her 

 discoveries have been described by Dr. Henry Woodward and Mr. R. 

 BuUen Newton in the Geological Magazine for 1900, 1901, and 1905 ; 

 and in dec. v, vol. iv of that journal (1907) a fuller memoir of this 

 lady is given by Dr. Woodward, to whom she was personally known 

 for many years. 



