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OBITUARY. 



Frederic Moore. 



This well-known Indian lepidopterist passed away on May 10th at 

 his residence, Maple Road, Penge, S.E. He was born on May 13th, 

 1830, at 33, Bruton Street, Berkeley Square, and was introduced as a 

 youth to Dr. J. E. Gray, who then required someone to draw Tortoises 

 for him. While so engaged he attracted the attention of Dr. Horsfield, 

 who was also in need of one capable of making natural history draw- 

 ings, and shortly afterwards joined the staff of the East India Museum, 

 then located in Leadenhall Street, City of London. He remained in 

 this institution till its absorption with the National Museum, and then 

 passed the remaining days of his busy leisure in following his favourite 

 pursuit. He was an indefatigable worker, and, beyond numerous 

 papers published by different scientific societies, his principal works 

 are — ' A Catalogue of the Lepidopterous Insects in the Museum of 

 the Hon. East India Company,' two vols. (1857-59), which was written 

 conjointly with Dr. Horsfield, whilst he alone wrote ' The Lepidoptera 

 of Ceylon,' in three vols. (1880-87), and was engaged in his great work, 

 ' Lepidoptera Indica,' to the actual time of his death, and of which six 

 volumes have appeared. 



Dr. Moore was an ardent and old-time naturalist. His path was 

 remote from the stream of evolutionary conception ; to him it was 

 sufficient to describe the vast host of species which still awaited 

 recognition, and to this work he brought an eye so trained for observ- 

 ing the most minute differences, that his species were not always 

 accepted by his colleagues. The lumpers considered him a splitter. 

 He thus incurred during his later years a considerable amount of 

 severe criticism, but possessing that dogged determination found only in 

 quiet men — and he was one of the quietest of men — it left him practi- 

 cally unaffected, and he conscientiously continued his work according 

 to his light to the end. He was pioneer in the study of Indian Lepi- 

 doptera, and he knew these insects intimately better than any man 

 living. In private life he was an upright man, with a serene dispo- 

 sition which trouble did not impair. His career was self-made and 

 without reproach. 



