George Bowdler Buckton. xlvii 



Haslemere, Surrey, where he built himself a stone-gabled house, according to 

 his own designs, taking with him his observatory and transit instruments. 

 Here he lived a peaceful, happy life for the remainder of his days ; and out 

 of eight children, five daughters and a son survive him ; likewise his widow. 



After settling at Haslemere, although Buckton kept his private laboratory 

 and lathe room, and gave private lectures on Chemistry and Physics to his 

 children and friends, he devoted himself chiefly to Natural History, com- 

 mencing by studying Parthenogenesis in Aphides, which led up to the 

 first of his valuable series of Entomological works, his ' Monograph of 

 British Aphides,' published by the Pay Society in four volumes, from 1876 

 to 1883. The numerous illustrations to this work were made under the 

 camera lucida and lithographed and coloured by his own hand. 



Continuing the study of the somewhat neglected sub-order Homoptera, he 

 published his ' Monograph of British Cicadae or Tettigidae ' (2 vols., 

 Macmillan) in 1890-1891, in which he was assisted by his children, who 

 collected specimens and coloured many of the plates under his direction. 

 This was followed by the ' Natural History of Eristalis Tenax ; or, the 

 Drone Fly ' (1 vol., Macmillan, 1895) ; and finally by a large and important 

 work on the Membracidae of the World, issued by Lovell Peeve & Co. in 

 4to. parts from 1901 to 1903, with many illustrations. A supplement to 

 this work was published in the ' Transactions of the Linnean Society ' in 

 July, 1905, only two months before the author's death. The original plates 

 of the Monograph of Membracidae have been presented to the Hope 

 Museum, Oxford. 



Buckton's deftness of hand in arranging his hundreds of microscopic 

 slides was remarkable ; often in laying out the delicate nervous organisa- 

 tion of an insect, he would make use of the sting of a wasp, as the finest 

 available instrument. He was in constant communication with various 

 scientific societies at home and abroad, and carried on a large correspondence 

 with the unfailing energy and courtesy that reminds one of an earlier 

 period, when letter- writing was a fine art ; this was distinctly perceptible 

 even in his business letters. 



Buckton instructed his children himself till they were 9 or 10 years of 

 age in a variety of subjects, from Grammar and Languages to Euclid, Drawing 

 and Physiology. He had an unusual gift of exposition, and was always 

 ready to share his knowledge with others. He often gave tools or specimens 

 to small boys who showed interest in Natural History. 



In spite of his infirmity, the charm of his personality deeply impressed 

 even strangers casually meeting him for the first time ; and a friend writes, 

 " None who ever met him could fail to be struck with his kindly courtesy, 

 his intense vitality, his wide range of knowledge, and his unflagging interest 

 in every topic affecting mankind." 



In his earlier days, Buckton travelled in Italy, Prance, and elsewhere, 

 saw the Commune, and even climbed the barricades, his great will-power 

 enabling him to surmount obstacles that might have daunted stronger 

 men. 



