late Professor Macgillivray . 195 



Dr Macgillivray has left ready for Publication two Works. 



1. " A History of the Vertebrated Animals inhabiting the Counties 



of Forfar, Kincardine, Aberdeen, Banff, Elgin, and Nairn, 

 with the adjoining parts of those of Inverness and Perth." 

 This, though complete in itself, was intended to form part 

 of a work in which Dr Macgillivray had made considerable 

 progress, but which would have taken many years to finish. 

 It was to have given the complete Natural History of these 

 six Counties, comprising their Geology, Mineralogy, Botany, 

 and Zoology in all its branches, — a gigantic undertaking, — 

 but one whose completion would have been of great national 

 importance. No such account of any district of Britain has 

 yet appeared as was contemplated in this work. 



2. The Natural History of Balmoral, from Notes made during an 



Excursion to Braemar in the Autumn of 1850. 



It is to be hoped that both these works will be given to 

 the public. The former is complete in itself so far as it goes, 

 though only comprising a small portion of the intended pub- 

 lication. The latter was left ready for the press, and the 

 district which it describes is not only interesting from its 

 alpine character, but doubly so from being the chosen sum- 

 mer residence of our Sovereign and her consort. 



It is impossible to read over this list without admiration 

 of the diligence of the author. Had he been a mere closet 

 student, an arranger and describer of other men's labours, 

 his work would have been great, and beyond the powers 

 of most to accomplish ; but the charm and value of his 

 books consist in their being so largely the results of his own 

 observations. 



His style is singularly clear and distinct ; conveying his 

 ideas in an unmistakeable form, there can never be any 

 doubt of what he intends to say — a valuable quality in any 

 writer, but of special importance in books of natural history. 

 Occasionally his delight in the subject before him leads him 

 somewhat beyond the strict limits of scientific technicality, 

 but never beyond those of perfect accuracy. 



His descriptions may by some have been criticised as too 

 particular, but this is not a fault which careful students of 

 natural history will be much disposed to find ; to be truly 



