A. C. L. G. Giinther. 



XXV 



inquiries, as, for instance, in distinguishing salmonoids, and was of much 

 service to the public authorities in such cases ; nor were his labours on the 

 effects of pollution of salmon- and trout-rivers less important. He carried 

 out, for instance, careful experiments on the effects of the pollution of the 

 lower Thames, noticing the length of time that fishes would survive in water 

 tainted with sewage, the effluents from gas-works, and other injurious 

 mixtures. He, indeed, carefully surveyed the river in a steam-vessel placed 

 at his service by the Metropolitan Board of Works. In the case of the 

 " yellow fins " of the Allan Water, again, his experienced advice was decisive, 

 though a skilful lawyer, by presenting a Loehleven trout to another less wary 

 scientific witness, created a diversion in favour of a contrary view. 



Throughout his life in England his fondness for pets of diverse kinds 

 continually asserted itself. Thus in his young married life at Surbiton an 

 artificial tree by the fireplace of his dining-room harboured a chameleon and 

 a small parroquet, the former invariably and successfully contesting for the 

 most comfortable perch with the latter — until on a dusky winter morning it 

 left its bough to crawl on the carpet, the colour of which it assumed, and 

 was unwittingly trodden on by a servant. Tree-frogs uttered their curious 

 notes from a Wardian case with its plants, and other species hopped about on 

 the green moss beneath. At Surbiton, also, he had a pet alligator, which 

 he kept in • his bedroom, and a giant tortoise in the garden along with the 

 old-world Hatteria (Sphcrwdon) from Xew Zealand. His aviary contained blue 

 tits, cormorants (which were fed on fish offal and rats), a raven, hoopoes, and 

 shrikes, whilst others occupied cages in the house. A nest of young kestrels 

 (now in the University Museum, St. Andrews) shows how successful he was 

 in the rearing of his pet animals, and the same may be said of his efforts 

 with the Tussah silk moth of India. Many will remember his success in 

 rearing for the first time the red-backed shrike in his aviary at Kew Gardens, 

 for, though the first brood did not live to maturity, the second brood of five 

 reached the adult condition,' the parents feeding them especially on earth- 

 worms, which they cut in small pieces. Moreover, he noted that their song 

 imitated that of the garden warbler. He took much interest in the nesting 

 of a pair of storks in Kew Gardens, where several pairs still remain — a source 

 of interest to ornithologists and the public, and an additional charm to the 

 magnificent grounds. His remarkable grackle (a gift from Lord Lilford) at 

 Kew Gardens was known to all his visitors, and its performances were a 

 source of never-ending interest and amusement. A small pond in his garden 

 at Hampton AVick again gave an opportunity for observing the habits of 

 fishes. When detained indoors by rainy weather, his active mind found 

 exercise and recreation indoors in the care of his private collections. 



Though devoted to his scientific labours, Gunther was a delightful com- 

 panion, and one of the kindest parents — ever ready to sacrifice himself for 

 the happiness of his family, whose interests and welfare were to him 

 paramount. As a host he will be remembered by many a man of science at 

 home and abroad ; and as a genial friend whose vast stores of information 



