100 



WALTER HOOD FITCH. 



The death of Mr. W. H. Fitch, which was briefly mentioned in 

 this Journal for January, has removed from among us one who, 

 although not a botanist in the strict sense of the word, was so long 

 and intimately associated with botanical literature that some record 

 of his work may be expected in these pages. 



Walter Hood Fitch was horn in Glasgow on the 28th of February, 

 1817. The family not long after removed to Leeds, where his 

 father became book-keeper to a large firm of flax merchants ; but 

 they returned to Glasgow when Walter was about eight years old. 

 Somewhat later, his taste for drawing having developed, he was set 

 to work at drawing patterns for calicoes, muslins, &c. He employed 



his evening leisure in glueing down plants for Dr. (afterwards Sir 

 William) Hooker, who lent him a book of outline plates, and was 

 so pleased with his copies that he secured his services by paying 

 back his apprentice -fee to the master of the print works where he 

 was engaged. From this time the career of Fitch as a botanical 

 artist may be said to date. 



Under so competent an instructor, and in a position so suited 

 to his tastes, young Fitch made rapid progress. His name first 

 appears in the Botanical Magazine, in connection with which much 

 of his best work was done, in October, 1884, on plate 3553 (Mimulus 

 roseus). In 1836, Sir William Hooker began the Ico?ies Plantanwi, 

 and, although Fitch's name does not appear upon them, we believe 

 that he was responsible for the plates. When Sir William went to 



