a q 
THOMAS WILLIAM BRIDGE, 1848—1909. 
_THomAs WILLIAM BrinGg, the eldest son of the late Thomas Bridge, was born 
in Birmingham on November 5, 1848*. He received his early education at 
the Moseley School, and later attended science classes at the Midland 
Institute in Birmingham. In November, 1869, he became private assistant to 
Mr J. W. Clark, then Superintendent of the University Museum of Zoology 
at Cambridge, and now Registrary of the University. He did not matriculate 
until 1871 and he entered Trinity College as a Foundation Scholar in 1875. 
A Demonstratorship of Comparative Anatomy having been established in the 
University in the latter year, Bridge was nominated to the post by the late 
Prot. Newton, his duties consisting in conducting a practical class in Compara- 
tive Anatomy, in addition to his work in the Museum. We are informed in 
the Annual Report of the Museums and Lecture Rooms Syndicate for 1873 
that his class was well attended and that his pupils derived much profit from 
his instruction. 
After graduating by means of the Natural Sciences Tripos (1875), Bridge 
spent six months at the Zoological Station at Naples. The outcome of this 
visit was the paper on the “ Pori abdominales of Vertebrata.” Returning to 
Cambridge, he again took up his duties as Demonstrator, and was engaged as 
before in teaching and curatorial work. The Cambridge Museum still 
possesses many admirable dissections, particularly osteological preparations of 
Fishes, which were prepared by him at this time and earlier. 
In February, 1879, he was appointed, in succession to Dr. Leith Adams, 
F.R.S., to the Professorship of Zoology in the Royal College of Science for 
Ireland, vacating it a year later on his election to the Chair of Biology at 
Mason College, Birmingham, then just about to be opened. In 1882 he 
became the first Professor of Zoology in Mason College on the division of 
Biology into Zoology and Botany ; and with the development of that institution 
into a University in 1900 he became Mason Professor of Zoology, a position 
he held until his death. 
From 1880 onwards, as in his early life, Bridge’s interests were entirely in 
Birmingham. His official duties naturally occupied a large proportion of his 
time, and his connection with a young and expanding institution rendered 
these claims so exacting as to give him but little leisure for research. It was 
no doubt mainly owing to this cause that the period between 1878 and 1888 
was unproductive of scientific results. But he took a full share during that 
time in the organising work incidental to the growth of Mason College, acting 
as Secretary to the Academic Board in 1884—1886, and in later years 
ocupying successively the Vice-chair and the Chair of that body. 
* For many of the facts and dates recorded in this notice the writer is indebted to 
Miss Bridge and to an article contributed to the ‘Birmingham Post’ by Prof. J. H. 
Poynting, F.R.S. 
(873) 

4) 
ja 
