LIFE OF ALBANY HANCOCK, BY DE. EMBLETON. 129 



be truly said a more complete specimen of minute anatomy has 

 not appeared since the days of Lyonet, a detailed account is given 

 of the whole organisation of the Brachiopoda, founded upon the 

 laborious dissection of numerous species ; several interesting 

 points in their economy, first indicated by Prof. Huxley, are 

 confirmed; many additional facts communicated; and a new 

 and clear light thrown upon the previously obscure subject 

 of the physiological and systematic relations of the class in 

 general." 



Praise like this, and from so high a scientific source, could not 

 but be agreeable to our friend, and stamped him as a man of 

 established fame. 



He was solicited to become a Fellow of the Eoyal Society, 

 but declined the honour. 



During the progress of the above works his attention was at- 

 tracted from time to time by various subjects of kindred charac- 

 « 



ter, and he made numerous contributions to scientific periodicals ; 

 indeed, for thirty years, he scarcely ceased from work : each 

 year, as may be seen in the list of his works at the end of this 

 memoir, bringing forth something of more or less solid utility to 

 his favourite sciences. He worked most perseveringly, taking- 

 little rest or relaxation and insufficient exercise ; his patience and 

 zeal were indefatigable ; his observations were frequently repeated 

 and tested, — whilst his dissections were of necessity performed 

 with the subject under water and by the aid of a lens, and at times 

 required the use of the higher powers of a valuable microscope 

 presented to him by Lady Armstrong. The drawings from his 

 dissections were executed with a delicacy and minute correctness 

 which left nothing to be desired, and the descriptions were always 

 plain and modest, but conscientiously exact, his sole aim being 

 the representation of the truth as it is in Nature. His sight 

 was excellent, his powers of observation and manipulation now 

 perfected, his reasoning close, his generalisations enlightened, 

 and, his mind having risen to its full development, he succeeded 

 in unravelling the intricacies of the organisation of the objects 

 of his researches in so clear a manner as to call forth the admira- 

 tion of those who, either in this country or abroad, had been 



