﻿James 
  William 
  Helenus 
  Trail. 
  

  

  IX 
  

  

  his 
  class 
  during 
  his 
  absence. 
  This, 
  fortunately 
  for 
  his 
  department, 
  the 
  

   authorities 
  concerned 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  arrange. 
  Trail, 
  however, 
  only 
  escaped 
  

   one 
  duty 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  undertake 
  another. 
  From 
  1871 
  onwards 
  his 
  communica- 
  

   tions 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  galls 
  had 
  been 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Scottish 
  Naturalist,' 
  

   and 
  had 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  warm 
  friendship 
  between 
  himself 
  and 
  

   the 
  editor, 
  Dr. 
  Francis 
  Buchanan 
  White. 
  In 
  1883 
  White 
  resolved 
  to 
  

   relinquish 
  the 
  editorship 
  and 
  persuaded 
  Trail 
  to 
  take 
  it 
  up. 
  Trail 
  edited 
  the 
  

   journal 
  from 
  1884 
  until, 
  in 
  1892, 
  it 
  was 
  merged 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Annals 
  of 
  Scottish 
  

   Natural 
  History,' 
  when 
  he 
  undertook 
  the 
  botanical 
  editorship 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  

   serial. 
  He 
  fulfilled 
  these 
  duties 
  during 
  the 
  20 
  years 
  that 
  the 
  ' 
  Annals 
  ' 
  were 
  

   published. 
  

  

  In 
  1886 
  Trail 
  took 
  a 
  prominent 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  the 
  Aberdeen 
  

   Working 
  Men's 
  Natural 
  History 
  Society. 
  The 
  success 
  of 
  this 
  organisation 
  he 
  

   did 
  much 
  to 
  ensure 
  by 
  often 
  guiding 
  its 
  discussions 
  and 
  sometimes 
  leading 
  its 
  

   excursions. 
  The 
  members 
  repaid 
  his 
  assistance 
  by 
  appointing 
  him 
  year 
  by 
  

   year 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  their 
  president. 
  By 
  1889 
  his 
  work 
  as 
  a 
  student 
  of 
  galls 
  had 
  

   secured 
  for 
  him 
  a 
  European 
  reputation, 
  and 
  led 
  to 
  his 
  election 
  in 
  that 
  year 
  to 
  

   the 
  Zoologisch-botanische 
  Gesellschaft 
  of 
  Vienna. 
  

  

  The 
  energy 
  and 
  tact 
  displayed 
  by 
  Trail 
  in 
  the 
  organisation 
  and 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  department 
  led 
  to 
  his 
  being 
  invited 
  to 
  undertake 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  

   important 
  duty. 
  In 
  1891 
  the 
  University 
  Commissioners 
  called 
  for 
  a 
  report 
  

   from 
  the 
  library 
  committee 
  on 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  library. 
  Trail, 
  who 
  had 
  

   been 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  this 
  committee 
  since 
  1877, 
  was 
  unanimously 
  requested 
  to 
  

   accept 
  the 
  posts 
  of 
  curator 
  of 
  the 
  library 
  and 
  chairman 
  of 
  the 
  committee, 
  and 
  

   to 
  draft 
  the 
  necessary 
  report. 
  How 
  well 
  he 
  accomplished 
  his 
  task 
  may 
  be 
  

   gathered 
  from 
  the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  thereafter 
  re-elected 
  to 
  both 
  

   posts 
  every 
  year. 
  The 
  present 
  condition 
  and 
  organisation 
  of 
  the 
  library 
  owe 
  

   much 
  to 
  his 
  foresight 
  and 
  care. 
  The 
  following 
  year 
  saw 
  a 
  further 
  addition 
  to 
  

   his 
  academic 
  duties. 
  A 
  faculty 
  of 
  science 
  was 
  established 
  in 
  the 
  University, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1892 
  he 
  was 
  appointed 
  its 
  dean. 
  But 
  these 
  added 
  tasks 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  

   impaired 
  his 
  efficiency 
  as 
  a 
  teacher 
  or 
  his 
  activity 
  as 
  an 
  observer. 
  His 
  

   attainments 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  capacity 
  were 
  recognised 
  by 
  his 
  election 
  to 
  the 
  

   Royal 
  Societ3' 
  in 
  1893 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Deutsche-botanische 
  Gesellschaft 
  in 
  1894. 
  

  

  The 
  year 
  1895 
  brought 
  Trail 
  a 
  new 
  engagement. 
  In 
  1894 
  his 
  friend 
  

   Buchanan 
  White 
  had 
  died. 
  This 
  able 
  naturalist, 
  like 
  Trail 
  himself, 
  was 
  as 
  

   competent 
  a 
  zoologist 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  botanist. 
  The 
  sympathies 
  and 
  interests 
  of 
  

   the 
  two 
  were 
  identical, 
  their 
  comradeship 
  had 
  long 
  been 
  close, 
  and 
  when 
  it 
  

   was 
  represented 
  to 
  Trail 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  desirable 
  to 
  prepare 
  for 
  publication 
  the 
  

   unfinished 
  manuscript 
  of 
  White's 
  ' 
  Flora 
  of 
  Perthshire/ 
  he 
  undertook 
  the 
  

   work 
  without 
  hesitation. 
  It 
  proved 
  a 
  heavy 
  obligation, 
  but, 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  

   mutual 
  friends 
  of 
  the 
  author 
  and 
  the 
  editor, 
  the 
  task 
  was 
  completed 
  in 
  1898. 
  

   This, 
  however, 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  the 
  only 
  extra-academic 
  duty 
  undertaken 
  by 
  

   Trail 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  period. 
  His 
  business 
  capacity 
  was 
  as 
  fully 
  appreciated 
  

   outside 
  the 
  University 
  as 
  within 
  its 
  walls, 
  and 
  his 
  help 
  was 
  eagerly 
  sought. 
  

   Taking 
  no 
  part 
  in 
  political 
  or 
  municipal 
  affairs, 
  he 
  nevertheless 
  felt 
  it 
  his 
  

  

  