SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Frederic Kitton, Hon. F.R.M.S., etc. — Mr. 

 Frederic Kitton, a frequent contributor to Science- 

 Gossip during a period of twenty years (1865 to 

 1885), died at his residence, West Kensington, 

 whither he had removed from Norwich, in |uly 

 last, at the age of sixty-eight. He was chiefly 

 known in the microscopic world for his life-long 

 devotion to the study of the Diatomacese, having 

 discovered several new forms, some of which are 

 known by his name. As an honorary member of 

 the Royal Microscopical Society, the Quekett 

 Microscopical Club, and Societe Beige de Micros- 

 copie, he contributed a number of papers to each. 

 His correspondence with continental microscopists 

 was large, and numbered among them Ehrenberg, 

 Van Heurck, Cleve, Weissflog, Tempere, and other 

 specialists. Mr. Kitton was also a corresponding 

 member of the American Microscopical Society, 

 and of the Dublin Microscopical Club. His notes 

 contributed to the microscopical journals on the 

 mounting, cleaning and preparation of diatoms, the 

 cuticles of plants, the mediums used for mounting 

 and for cells, are invaluable to microscopic students. 

 He also made translations from German and 

 French of fresh discoveries of the diatomaceous 

 order by foreign microscopists, which appear in the 

 journals of the societies. In conjunction with the 

 late M. Julien Deby (at one time President of the 

 Belgian Microscopical Society), Mr. Kitton wrote 

 a " Bibliography of the Microscope and Microscopic 

 Studies," being a catalogue of books and papers on 

 the Diatomaceas in that gentleman's possession, a 

 work necessarily involving great labour and 

 research. A favourite subject with him was the 

 polarisation of light, and to Dr. Edwin Lankester's 

 " Half-hours with the Microscope'' he contributed 

 a chapter on the polariscope, which is remarkable 

 for its lucid exposition. In Dr. M. C. Cooke's 

 "Ponds and Ditches," 1880, will be found a chapter 

 on diatoms, by Mr. Kitton, and two chapters on 

 freshwater and marine diatoms in the same 

 author's " One Thousand Objects for the Micros- 

 cope." To Mason's "History of Norfolk," 1884, 

 Mr. Kitton gave a list of the Diatomacese found in 

 the county of Norfolk. In Andrew Pritchard's 

 " History of the Infusoria " (4th edition), he 

 verified the references to works there mentioned. 

 Another favourite topic with the late microscopist 

 was the formation of flint, upon which subject he 

 read a series of papers at the meetings of the 

 Norwich Geological and the Norfolk and Norwich 

 Naturalists' Societies. Elected to the latter in 

 1873, as president, Mr. Kitton gave an address in 

 which he strongly combated the doctrine of 

 abiogenesis or spontaneous generation, then advo- 

 cated by Dr. Bastian, and expressed his dissent 

 from the theory of evolution, as propounded by 

 Darwin ; there is reason to think, 'however, that 

 his views on the doctrine of evolution afterwards 

 became modified. Mr. Kitton's assistance as a 

 microscopist was often sought by the societies 

 before mentioned, in determining the constitution of 

 organic and inorganic structures. As the result of 

 his industry in the department of microscopic 



science, he left behind a large number of slides 

 (chiefly prepared by his own hand), amounting to 

 over 5,000 specimens. As a labourer in that field 

 in which he is principally known, Frederic Kitton 

 had few compeers whose work is more unique. It 

 may be added that his son, Mr. F. G. Kitton, 

 author of some recent works delineating the life 

 and genius of Charles Dickens, is preparing a 

 memoir which will include a complete bibliography 

 of the writings of his late father. S. C. S. 



William Henry Tugwell, who died after a 

 long and acutely painful illness on September 20th, 

 was a Pharmaceutical Chemist, of Greenwich. 

 He was born at Reigate in 1S31, and for many 

 years past has been known as an ardent collector 

 of lepidoptera, and botanist. The large collection of 

 butterflies and the larger moths left by him will be 

 shortly offered for sale. 



Professor Charles P. Riley, M.A., Ph.D., late 

 U. S. Government Entomologist at Washington, 

 died on September 14th, through an accident whilst 

 riding on a bicycle. He was born at Walton-on- 

 Thames, in Surrey, in 1843, going out to America 

 when about seventeen years of age. His early 

 tastes for entomology led him, after a somewhat 

 adventurous life as soldier and journalist, to study 

 the life history of noxious insects. He was State 

 Entomologist of Missouri for about ten years, 

 receiving his post at Washington in 1878, which he 

 held until 1894. He founded, in 188S, the periodical 

 " Insect Life," which was the vehicle for 

 publication for the results of many of his valuable 

 researches. His name among American and also 

 many European naturalists, has long been a house- 

 hold word, for he was known as the leading master 

 in economic entomology. 



Robert Brown, M.A., Ph.D., F.L.S., a well- 

 known botanist, traveller, and editor of scientific 

 publications, died suddenly on October 27th, 1895, 

 at Streatham, near London. Only son of Thomas 

 Brown, of Campster, in Caithness, he was born 

 March 23rd, 1842. He had exceptional educational 

 opportunities after leaving school. First he studied 

 in the University of Edinburgh, gaining prizes and 

 medals ; later years in the Scientific Schools and 

 Universities of Leyden, Copenhagen, and at 

 Rostock, where he received his degree, Ph.D. As 

 a traveller he visited, in 1861, Jan Mayen, 

 Spitzbergen, Greenland and Baffin's Bay. From 

 1863 to 1866, he visited, for scientific purposes, 

 some of the Pacific Islands, West Indies, Venezuela, 

 and, as Botanist to the British Columbia Expedi- 

 tion, Alaska and Behring Sea Coast. As Com- 

 mander of the Vancouver Island Expedition, he 

 introduced several new plants into Europe and 

 charted the interior of that island ; Brown's Range, 

 Mount Brown and Brown's River having been 

 named after him. In 1867, in company with 

 Edward Whymper, he made the first attempt by 

 Englishmen to penetrate the inland ice cap of 

 Greenland, forming conclusions which have since 

 been confirmed. Later he spent a short time in 

 the Barbary States of North Africa. In 1876, Dr. 

 Brown removed to London, since which time he has 

 been connected with the publishing firm of Cassell 

 and Co., editing " Science for all," " The Countries 

 of the World," " The Races of Mankind." "Africa 

 Past and Present " ; he was also attached to the 

 editorial staff of the Standard newspaper. Dr. 

 Brown used to claim that he had, wholly or in 

 collaboration, written thirty volumes of books and 

 upwards of 4,000 articles and reviews in various 

 languages. 



