INTRODUCTION xv 



of his public duty — namely, when he was sent to 

 study, from the naturalist's point of view, the 

 malarial conditions prevailing on the frontier of 

 Goa ; and when during the last two years of his 

 service he was put in literary charge of The Sind 

 Gazetteer. In this book one can see the light and 

 graceful literary touch of Eha frequently cropping 

 up amidst the dry bones of public health and 

 commercial statistics, and the book is enlivened 

 by innumerable witty and philosophic touches 

 appearing in the most unlikely places, such as he 

 alone could enliven a dull subject with. Would 

 that all Government gazetteers were similarly 

 adorned ! But there are not many " Ehas " in 

 Government employ in India. 



On completion of this work he retired to Edinburgh, 

 where most of the sketches contained in this volume 

 were written. He was very happy with his family 

 in his home at Morningside, and was beginning to 

 surround himself with pets and flowers, as was his 

 wont all his life, and to get a good connection with 

 the home newspapers and magazines, when, alas! 

 death stepped in, and he died after a short illness 

 on April 25, 1909. 



He was interested in the home birds and beasts 

 as he had been with those in India, and the last 

 time the writer met him he was taking home some 

 gold-fish for his aquarium. A few days before his 

 death he had found his way down to the Morning- 

 side cemetery, where he had been enjoying the sun- 



