396 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Flies ' are invaluable ; and, since British ideas as regards the nomen- 

 clature of Diptera are not invariably the same as those current on 

 the Continent of Europe, the books should prove indispensable also 

 to Continental dipterists. l? T? A 



In addition to what has been so well said by Mr. Austen {supra) 

 as to the scientific status of our late friend, something may still be 

 recorded as to his very human personality. 



He was born on the 7th February, 1848, and passed away at his 

 Newmarket residence on September 16th last, being thus in his sixty- 

 fourth year of age. George Verrall was entomologist, sportsman, and 

 politician, and it was in one of these capacities that most of his 

 friends knew him best. Entomology was the charm of his life ; pro- 

 bably everything else gave way to it, and I well remember a good 

 many years ago when, being with him in the weighing-room at Yar- 

 mouth races, he suddenly seized a fly from the window and told 

 me it was a good specimen of a rare species. He had long studied 

 the British Diptera, and joined our mutual friend Edward Water- 

 house at Rannoch in 1870, when he collected so successfully that 

 " it took Verrall years to clear up all his captures on that 

 journey." It was also about this time that my same informant 

 has often told me of a favourite black and white rat "that always 

 sat on the table by George's side and took tea with him." This 

 rodent also frequently journeyed with him in his pocket. Verrall 

 was President of the Entomological Society in 1899 and 1900, 

 but where he was really king was at the Entomological Club. His 

 yearly supper-party at the Holborn Restaurant was the Mecca of 

 " insect men," and his only greed I ever noticed was that in hospi- 

 tality, for he was always disappointed when his guests were num- 

 bered in less than three figures. Those yearly gatherings, continued 

 so long, will make many of us remember him best as we knew the 

 kindly president in that club chair. 



As a sportsman he was a great authority in racing matters, and 

 was a turfite in the real and best sense of that word ; but here the 

 sportsman ended, he did not to my knowledge angle or shoot ; a 

 day's entomologizing was always to him real recreation, and he 

 enjoyed his billiards. 



In politics he was a true but broad-minded Conservative, worked 

 hard and well for his cause and was an ardent Tariff Reformer. He 

 represented the Newmarket Division for one of the recent short 

 sessions. It was, however, because he was so truly human that he 

 was generally loved, and it is that which makes so many of us feel 

 his loss. ^_ L D. 



