﻿Vlll 
  

  

  Obituary 
  Notices 
  of 
  Fellows 
  deceased. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  6. 
  Dickie, 
  F.RS., 
  was 
  compelled, 
  on 
  the 
  advice 
  of 
  his 
  physician, 
  to 
  tender 
  

   his 
  resignation. 
  The 
  Crown 
  appointed 
  Trail 
  to 
  the 
  vacant 
  chair, 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  

   which 
  he 
  took 
  up 
  in 
  May, 
  1877. 
  

  

  When 
  Trail 
  was 
  appointed 
  it 
  was 
  remarked 
  in 
  some 
  quarters 
  that 
  the 
  

   Crown 
  had 
  chosen 
  a 
  zoologist 
  to 
  fill 
  a 
  botanical 
  chair. 
  The 
  authors 
  of 
  this 
  

   comment 
  could 
  justify 
  it 
  by 
  citing 
  the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  30 
  odd 
  

   contributions 
  to 
  natural 
  knowledge 
  made 
  by 
  Trail 
  during 
  1870-76, 
  14 
  relate 
  

   to 
  purely 
  zoological 
  observations. 
  The 
  comment 
  was 
  nevertheless 
  a 
  superficial 
  

   one, 
  for 
  a 
  dozen 
  of 
  the 
  remaining 
  articles 
  were 
  contributions 
  to 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   galls, 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  equal 
  interest 
  to 
  zoologists 
  and 
  botanists, 
  while 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  

   purely 
  botanical 
  contributions 
  two 
  are 
  important 
  additions 
  to 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  

   palms. 
  What 
  had 
  really 
  happened 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  Crown 
  took 
  the 
  opportunity 
  

   — 
  even 
  then 
  far 
  from 
  common, 
  and 
  to-day, 
  unfortunately, 
  rarer 
  still 
  — 
  of 
  

   appointing 
  to 
  a 
  biological 
  chair 
  an 
  incumbent 
  who 
  had 
  already 
  given 
  signal 
  

   proof 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  an 
  accomplished 
  naturalist, 
  endowed 
  with 
  a 
  marked 
  

   capacity 
  for 
  exact 
  and 
  patient 
  observation, 
  and 
  an 
  extensive 
  acquaintance 
  

   with 
  the 
  morphological 
  features 
  and 
  the 
  bionomic 
  relationships 
  both 
  of 
  plants 
  

   and 
  of 
  animals. 
  That 
  Trail 
  was 
  as 
  competent 
  to 
  conduct 
  a 
  zoological 
  as 
  a 
  

   botanical 
  class 
  he 
  soon 
  hail 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  showing. 
  The 
  chair 
  of 
  zoology 
  

   in 
  the 
  University 
  became 
  vacant 
  in 
  1878, 
  and 
  the 
  professor 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  

   Crown 
  was 
  prevented 
  for 
  a 
  year 
  from 
  taking 
  up 
  the 
  duties. 
  At 
  the 
  request 
  

   of 
  his 
  University, 
  Trail 
  taught 
  the 
  zoology 
  class 
  during 
  1878-79 
  with 
  as 
  

   much 
  success 
  as 
  attended 
  his 
  conduct 
  of 
  the 
  botany 
  one. 
  As 
  events 
  were 
  to 
  

   prove, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  factors 
  that 
  made 
  Trail 
  so 
  effective 
  and 
  useful 
  as 
  a 
  teacher 
  

   was 
  the 
  unconscious 
  ease 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  could 
  apply 
  his 
  wide 
  and 
  exact 
  

   zoological 
  knowledge 
  to 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  facts 
  and 
  phenomena 
  connected 
  

   with 
  plant 
  life. 
  

  

  When 
  Trail 
  took 
  up 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  his 
  chair 
  the 
  equipment 
  of 
  the 
  botanical 
  

   department 
  was 
  extremely 
  defective. 
  This 
  was 
  neither 
  due 
  to 
  neglect 
  on 
  the 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  eminent 
  algologist 
  whom 
  he 
  succeeded 
  nor 
  owing 
  to 
  any 
  want 
  of 
  

   sympathy 
  on 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  authorities. 
  The 
  opportunity 
  which 
  the 
  

   task 
  of 
  teaching 
  two 
  classes 
  afforded, 
  enabled 
  Trail 
  to 
  think 
  out 
  a 
  scheme 
  

   whereby 
  these 
  defects 
  might 
  be 
  remedied 
  with 
  due 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  his 
  

   chair 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  economic 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  on 
  the 
  

   other. 
  By 
  1879, 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  proceeded 
  to 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  M.D., 
  Trail 
  

   had 
  begun 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  his 
  designs. 
  With 
  patient 
  but 
  unflagging 
  courage 
  and 
  

   energy 
  he 
  kept 
  to 
  his 
  purpose, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  left 
  for 
  his 
  

   successor 
  a 
  well-equipped 
  and 
  thoroughly 
  modern 
  botanical 
  department, 
  with 
  

   an 
  excellent 
  teaching 
  museum, 
  well-furnished 
  laboratories, 
  and 
  an 
  admirable 
  

   botanical 
  garden. 
  

  

  While 
  immersed 
  in 
  this 
  task, 
  Trail 
  was 
  given 
  an 
  opportunity, 
  in 
  1883, 
  of 
  

   accepting 
  the 
  leadership 
  of 
  an 
  important 
  exploring 
  expedition 
  to 
  tropical 
  

   East 
  Africa. 
  He 
  undertook 
  the 
  duty 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  condition 
  that 
  he 
  be 
  

   shown 
  the 
  consideration 
  extended 
  to 
  the 
  professor 
  of 
  zoology 
  in 
  1878, 
  and 
  be 
  

   excused 
  the 
  responsibility 
  of 
  nominating 
  the 
  substitute 
  required 
  to 
  conduct 
  

  

  