﻿X 
  

  

  Obituary 
  Notices 
  of 
  Fellows 
  deceased. 
  

  

  duty 
  to 
  respond 
  to 
  appeals 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  advancement 
  of 
  education, 
  

   especially 
  scientific 
  education. 
  This 
  led 
  to 
  his 
  serving 
  as 
  the 
  chairman 
  of 
  more 
  

   than 
  one 
  education 
  committee, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  governor 
  of 
  various 
  educational 
  

   trusts. 
  It 
  also 
  induced 
  him 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  leading 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  movement 
  which 
  

   culminated 
  in 
  1903 
  in 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  a 
  College 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  and 
  to 
  

   accept 
  the 
  presidency 
  of 
  the 
  Buchan 
  .Field 
  Club, 
  which 
  he 
  demitted 
  in 
  1904. 
  

   He 
  was 
  equally 
  active 
  in 
  the 
  movement 
  which 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  foundation 
  in 
  the 
  

   University 
  of 
  a 
  Forestry 
  lectureship, 
  and 
  he 
  showed 
  his 
  readiness 
  to 
  further 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  science 
  generally 
  by 
  serving 
  as 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  botanical 
  section 
  

   of 
  the 
  British 
  Association 
  at 
  the 
  80th 
  meeting, 
  held 
  in 
  1910. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  ten 
  years 
  of 
  Trail's 
  scientific 
  activity 
  were 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  accumu- 
  

   lation 
  and 
  arrangement 
  of 
  data 
  for 
  a 
  ' 
  Flora 
  of 
  North-Eastern 
  Scotland,' 
  on 
  a 
  

   scale 
  wider 
  and 
  more 
  comprehensive 
  than 
  anything 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  hitherto 
  

   attempted. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  deep 
  regret 
  to 
  his 
  friends 
  that 
  his 
  death 
  should 
  

   have 
  placed 
  his 
  own 
  material 
  for 
  this 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  jeopardy 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  

   was 
  able 
  to 
  rescue 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  Buchanan 
  White. 
  The 
  strain 
  induced 
  

   by 
  war 
  conditions 
  had 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  preventing, 
  after 
  1913, 
  the 
  annual 
  visits, 
  

   spent 
  in 
  working 
  at 
  Kew 
  and 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  wont 
  to 
  

   look 
  forward. 
  Otherwise 
  the 
  difficulties 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  affect 
  

   his 
  life 
  or 
  curtail 
  his 
  energy. 
  With 
  the 
  cessation 
  of 
  hostilities 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  face 
  

   that 
  sudden 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  students 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  common 
  

   experience 
  of 
  seats 
  of 
  learning. 
  His 
  class, 
  in 
  1919, 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  

   two 
  moieties, 
  and 
  with 
  characteristic 
  self-sacrifice, 
  he 
  resolved 
  to 
  give 
  as 
  much 
  

   personal 
  attention 
  to 
  each 
  pupil 
  as 
  was 
  his 
  practice 
  in 
  former 
  years. 
  Whether 
  

   this 
  doubling 
  of 
  the 
  hours 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  his 
  class 
  played 
  any 
  part 
  in 
  

   inducing 
  or 
  aggravating 
  the 
  insidious 
  malady 
  — 
  a 
  duodenal 
  ulcer 
  — 
  which 
  ended 
  

   his 
  career 
  is 
  not 
  clear. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  his 
  ailment 
  was 
  unsuspected 
  until 
  

   perforation 
  took 
  place. 
  Removed 
  to 
  a 
  nursing 
  home 
  in 
  Aberdeen, 
  he 
  stood 
  

   well 
  the 
  surgical 
  interference 
  that 
  was 
  called 
  for, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  hopes 
  of 
  

   recovery 
  were 
  entertained. 
  But 
  disquieting 
  symptoms 
  supervened, 
  his 
  

   strength 
  failed, 
  and 
  he 
  died 
  on 
  September 
  18, 
  1919, 
  in 
  his 
  69th 
  year. 
  

  

  Though 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  a 
  fluent 
  speaker, 
  Trail 
  was 
  a 
  clear 
  and 
  convincing 
  

   teacher. 
  His 
  statements, 
  while 
  never 
  dogmatic, 
  were 
  always 
  precise, 
  and 
  

   were 
  conveyed 
  in 
  language 
  chosen 
  with 
  care. 
  The 
  matter 
  discussed 
  was 
  used 
  

   primarily 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  education 
  ; 
  the 
  imparting 
  of 
  instruction, 
  which 
  was 
  

   ample, 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  incidental 
  to 
  his 
  main 
  purpose. 
  This 
  was 
  particularly 
  

   evident 
  in 
  his 
  practical 
  classes, 
  where 
  he 
  used 
  his 
  subject 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  

   developing 
  the 
  faculty 
  of 
  observation 
  and 
  exercising 
  the 
  reasoning 
  capacity 
  of 
  

   his 
  pupils. 
  Ever 
  ready 
  with 
  effective 
  assistance 
  in 
  overcoming 
  difficulties 
  

   connected 
  with 
  technique, 
  formal 
  demonstration 
  was 
  skilfully 
  .avoided, 
  and 
  

   the 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  problem 
  set 
  was 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  unaided 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  student. 
  

   The 
  same 
  purpose 
  underlay 
  his 
  methods 
  as 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  class 
  excursions, 
  

   during 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  able, 
  while 
  retaining 
  the 
  esteem 
  and 
  respect 
  of 
  his 
  

   pupils, 
  to 
  convince 
  them 
  of 
  the 
  essential 
  solidarity 
  of 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  teacher 
  

   and 
  taught. 
  Outside 
  his 
  class 
  he 
  did 
  much 
  during 
  many 
  years 
  for 
  successive 
  

  

  