﻿232 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  NOTICES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  BOOKS. 
  

  

  Sir 
  William 
  Henry 
  Flower, 
  K.C.B., 
  F.R.S., 
  dec. 
  A 
  Personal 
  

   Memoir. 
  By 
  C. 
  J. 
  Cornish, 
  M.A., 
  F.Z.S. 
  Macmillan 
  & 
  

   Co., 
  Limited. 
  

  

  This 
  volume 
  is 
  well 
  described 
  on 
  the 
  title-page 
  as 
  "A 
  Personal 
  

   Memoir," 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  plan 
  and 
  conception 
  reminds 
  us 
  strongly 
  of 
  

   the 
  life 
  of 
  Louis 
  Agassiz, 
  which 
  was 
  written 
  by 
  his 
  widow. 
  Mr. 
  

   Cornish 
  remarks 
  in 
  his 
  preface 
  that 
  if 
  " 
  the 
  personal 
  element 
  is 
  

   accorded 
  rather 
  more 
  space 
  than 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  expected 
  in 
  a 
  

   memoir 
  of 
  a 
  distinguished 
  man 
  of 
  science, 
  and 
  any 
  critic 
  cares 
  to 
  

   press 
  this 
  point, 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  prepared 
  to 
  say 
  mea 
  culpa." 
  There 
  is 
  

   some 
  truth 
  in 
  this 
  suggestion. 
  After 
  reading 
  the 
  book 
  we 
  only 
  

   receive 
  the 
  impression 
  of 
  an 
  appreciation 
  (to 
  use 
  a 
  word 
  now 
  

   much 
  in 
  use 
  for 
  biographical 
  notice) 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  amiable 
  gentleman, 
  

   an 
  accomplished 
  director 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  museum, 
  a 
  mover 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  

   best 
  society, 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  broad 
  churchman. 
  But 
  Sir 
  William 
  

   was 
  a 
  greater 
  man 
  in 
  biological 
  science 
  than 
  Mr. 
  Cornish 
  seems 
  

   to 
  suspect 
  ; 
  as 
  a 
  naturalist, 
  and 
  especially 
  as 
  an 
  anthropologist, 
  

   his 
  great 
  work 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  analysis, 
  and 
  its 
  importance 
  not 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  define. 
  The 
  " 
  List 
  of 
  his 
  Published 
  Writings," 
  with- 
  

   out 
  comment, 
  might 
  give 
  simply 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  industry, 
  and 
  affords 
  

   little 
  clue 
  to 
  his 
  life-work, 
  while 
  he 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  famous 
  

   director 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  museum, 
  and 
  had 
  made 
  his 
  mark 
  outside. 
  

  

  In 
  perusing 
  these 
  pages 
  one 
  is 
  frequently 
  forced 
  to 
  ask 
  — 
  does 
  

   Society 
  afford 
  a 
  help 
  or 
  hindrance 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  science 
  ? 
  The 
  

   work 
  of 
  Sir 
  Wm. 
  Flower 
  lay 
  in 
  one 
  direction 
  ; 
  he 
  was 
  entrusted 
  

   with 
  a 
  talent 
  of 
  considerable 
  value, 
  his 
  constitution 
  was 
  not 
  

   robust, 
  and 
  he 
  voluntarily 
  took 
  on 
  much 
  social 
  fatigue. 
  We 
  

   like 
  to 
  remember 
  him 
  as 
  a 
  great 
  zoologist, 
  among 
  his 
  dead 
  

   animals, 
  rather 
  than 
  among 
  the 
  live 
  lords, 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  index 
  

   to 
  the 
  volume 
  is 
  an 
  awe-inspiring 
  list 
  of 
  eminent 
  names, 
  we 
  wish 
  

   it 
  referred 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  subject-matter 
  which 
  really 
  dominated 
  

   an 
  eminent 
  scientific 
  career. 
  

  

  