﻿VI 
  1 
  

  

  JAMES 
  WILLIAM 
  HELEN 
  US 
  TRAIL, 
  1851-1919. 
  

  

  James 
  Willtam 
  Helenus 
  Trail 
  was 
  born 
  at 
  Birsay, 
  in 
  Orkney, 
  on 
  

   March 
  4th, 
  18.51. 
  He 
  was 
  the 
  youngest 
  son 
  of 
  the 
  Very 
  Eev. 
  Samuel 
  Trail, 
  

   minister 
  of 
  Birsay 
  and 
  Harray, 
  18-13-67 
  ; 
  Professor 
  of 
  Systematic 
  Theology, 
  

   University 
  of 
  Aberdeen, 
  1867-87 
  ; 
  Moderator 
  of 
  the 
  General 
  Assembly 
  of 
  the 
  

   Church 
  of 
  Scotland 
  in 
  1874. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  sound 
  preparatory 
  education 
  at 
  home, 
  Trail 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Tulloch's 
  

   academy, 
  then 
  a 
  good 
  private 
  school 
  in 
  Aberdeen. 
  From 
  this 
  he 
  was 
  trans- 
  

   ferred, 
  in 
  1865, 
  to 
  the 
  Grammar 
  School 
  of 
  Old 
  Aberdeen, 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  

   subjected 
  to 
  the 
  intensive 
  classical 
  drill 
  then 
  deemed 
  essential 
  before 
  

   matriculation. 
  In 
  Trail's 
  case 
  this 
  hard 
  discipline, 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  increasing, 
  had 
  

   the 
  effect 
  of 
  destroying 
  any 
  enthusiasm 
  he 
  may 
  ever 
  have 
  shown 
  for 
  classical 
  

   study. 
  As 
  a 
  child 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  addicted 
  to 
  the 
  observation 
  and 
  collection 
  of 
  

   natural 
  objects. 
  While 
  at 
  school 
  under 
  Mr. 
  Tulloch 
  this 
  predilection 
  had 
  

   heen 
  encouraged 
  and 
  directed 
  into 
  methodical 
  channels. 
  Even 
  at 
  the 
  

   Grammar 
  School 
  his 
  favourite 
  pursuits 
  occupied 
  his 
  scanty 
  leisure. 
  The 
  habit 
  

   continued 
  after 
  he 
  entered 
  the 
  University 
  in 
  1866. 
  Though 
  a 
  good 
  student 
  in 
  

   all 
  the 
  arts 
  departments, 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  seek 
  distinction 
  in 
  classics, 
  in 
  mathe- 
  

   matics, 
  or 
  in 
  philosophy. 
  He 
  concentrated 
  his 
  attention 
  on 
  the 
  subjects 
  in 
  

   the 
  Natural 
  Science 
  Department, 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  obtained 
  " 
  highest 
  honours 
  " 
  

   when 
  he 
  graduated 
  M.A. 
  in 
  1870. 
  

  

  Entering 
  the 
  medical 
  faculty, 
  which 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  provided 
  the 
  only 
  avenue 
  

   the 
  University 
  could 
  offer 
  to 
  those 
  anxious 
  to 
  adopt 
  a 
  scientific 
  career, 
  Trail 
  

   was 
  not 
  particularly 
  attracted 
  by 
  his 
  purely 
  professional 
  studies. 
  On 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  he 
  served, 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1870-73, 
  as 
  assistant 
  to 
  the 
  professors 
  

   of 
  botany 
  and 
  chemistry 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  curator 
  of 
  the 
  zoological 
  museum. 
  In 
  

   1873 
  he 
  gave 
  further 
  proof 
  of 
  his 
  attitude 
  towards 
  medicine 
  by 
  abandoning 
  

   his 
  studies 
  altogether, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  take 
  advantage 
  of 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   learning 
  at 
  first 
  hand 
  what 
  a 
  tropical 
  fauna 
  and 
  flora 
  are 
  like. 
  He 
  accepted 
  

   the 
  position 
  of 
  naturalist 
  to 
  a 
  South 
  American 
  exploring 
  expedition, 
  and 
  in 
  

   this 
  capacity 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  travel 
  upwards 
  of 
  16,000 
  miles 
  on 
  the 
  Amazon 
  and 
  

   its 
  northern 
  tributaries, 
  making 
  ample 
  notes 
  of 
  his 
  observations 
  and 
  securing 
  

   large 
  zoological 
  and 
  botanical 
  collections. 
  

  

  Returning 
  in 
  1875, 
  Trail 
  resumed 
  his 
  medical 
  studies 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  

   set 
  about 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  his 
  material 
  and 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  his 
  

   results. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  his 
  material 
  so 
  impressed 
  those 
  competent 
  to 
  judge 
  that 
  

   in 
  December, 
  1875, 
  Trail 
  was 
  elected 
  to 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society. 
  His 
  medical 
  

   studies 
  gave 
  him 
  little 
  trouble 
  and 
  in 
  1876 
  he 
  graduated 
  M.B. 
  with 
  " 
  highest 
  

   academical 
  honours." 
  The 
  thoroughness 
  and 
  ability 
  displayed 
  in 
  working 
  out 
  

   bis 
  collections 
  led 
  to 
  his 
  selection, 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  1876, 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  post 
  of 
  

   Government 
  botanist 
  in 
  British 
  Guiana. 
  Early 
  in 
  1877, 
  however, 
  when 
  

   Trail 
  was 
  about 
  to 
  leave, 
  the 
  Professor 
  of 
  Botany 
  at 
  Aberdeen, 
  the 
  late 
  

  

  vol. 
  xci. 
  — 
  b. 
  l> 
  

  

  