﻿James 
  William 
  Helenus 
  Trail. 
  

  

  XI 
  

  

  groups 
  of 
  undergraduates 
  by 
  the 
  measures 
  he 
  adopted 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  

   efficiency 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  battery. 
  He 
  joined 
  the 
  corps 
  himself 
  with 
  a 
  

   subaltern 
  commission, 
  and 
  by 
  assiduous 
  study 
  and 
  practice 
  made 
  himself 
  an 
  

   efficient 
  officer, 
  earning 
  his 
  eventual 
  promotion 
  to 
  field 
  rank 
  and 
  the 
  command 
  

   of 
  the 
  corps 
  solely 
  by 
  merit 
  and 
  without 
  reference 
  to 
  his 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  

   University. 
  The 
  result 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  endeavour 
  to 
  obtain 
  efficiency, 
  which 
  he 
  

   expected 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  others, 
  was 
  readily 
  and 
  successfully 
  made. 
  

  

  The 
  high 
  sense 
  of 
  duty 
  which 
  led 
  Trail 
  to 
  lend 
  his 
  organising 
  powers 
  to 
  the 
  

   University 
  and 
  the 
  community 
  at 
  large 
  cannot 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  for 
  

   regret. 
  The 
  services 
  he 
  so 
  ungrudgingly 
  rendered 
  were 
  in 
  every 
  instance 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  higher 
  education 
  and 
  of 
  science. 
  There 
  was, 
  

   however, 
  an 
  inevitable 
  consequence 
  of 
  this 
  manifestation 
  of 
  civic 
  virtue 
  which 
  

   must 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  unfortunate. 
  The 
  notes 
  and 
  papers, 
  some 
  250 
  in 
  number, 
  

   in 
  which 
  Trail's 
  contributions 
  to 
  natural 
  knowledge 
  have 
  been 
  published 
  are 
  

   of 
  such 
  a 
  quality 
  as 
  to 
  justify 
  our 
  regret 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  more 
  numerous 
  

   Those 
  who 
  had 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  Trail's 
  personal 
  acquaintance 
  are 
  aware 
  that 
  

   these 
  published 
  notes 
  represent 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  fraction 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  recorded 
  by 
  him 
  during 
  his 
  scientific 
  career. 
  His 
  results 
  were 
  at 
  all 
  

   times 
  freely 
  at 
  the 
  disposal 
  of 
  anyone 
  who 
  cared 
  to 
  consult 
  him. 
  It 
  is 
  among 
  

   those 
  who 
  owe 
  him 
  most 
  gratitude 
  for 
  help 
  thus 
  rendered 
  that 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   regret 
  is 
  felt 
  that 
  so 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  wide 
  and 
  exact 
  information 
  secured 
  by 
  Trail 
  

   as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  observation 
  is 
  now 
  available 
  for 
  use 
  by 
  others. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  furtherance 
  of 
  scientific 
  education 
  and 
  research 
  Trail 
  devoted 
  means 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  time. 
  In 
  memory 
  of 
  his 
  mother 
  he 
  founded 
  in 
  the 
  University 
  a 
  

   fund 
  to 
  be 
  employed 
  in 
  assisting 
  undergraduates 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  faculties 
  who 
  

   may 
  display 
  approved 
  proficiency 
  in 
  Natural 
  History 
  studies. 
  On 
  completing 
  

   25 
  years' 
  continuous 
  service 
  as 
  curator 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  library 
  he 
  founded 
  

   another 
  fund, 
  to 
  be 
  used, 
  in 
  supplement 
  of 
  regular 
  grants 
  from 
  the 
  University 
  

   purse, 
  for 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  scientific 
  books. 
  To 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society 
  he 
  com- 
  

   mitted 
  the 
  management 
  of 
  a 
  third 
  fund, 
  to 
  reward 
  special 
  research. 
  But 
  these 
  

   recorded 
  gifts 
  bear 
  even 
  less 
  relationship 
  to 
  Trail's 
  constant 
  but 
  unobtrusive 
  

   benevolence 
  than 
  his 
  published 
  contributions 
  to 
  natural 
  knowledge 
  bear 
  to 
  

   the 
  vast 
  store 
  of 
  scientific 
  facts, 
  peculiar 
  to 
  himself, 
  secured 
  by 
  patient 
  

   observation 
  in 
  many 
  fields 
  of 
  Natural 
  History. 
  

  

  Quiet 
  in 
  manner 
  and 
  naturally 
  reserved, 
  Trail 
  did 
  not 
  often 
  intervene 
  in 
  

   discussion. 
  When, 
  on 
  being 
  invited, 
  he 
  did 
  speak 
  he 
  was 
  listened 
  to 
  with 
  

   attention, 
  not 
  only 
  because 
  of 
  his 
  wide 
  knowledge, 
  but 
  because 
  of 
  his 
  manifest 
  

   sincerity 
  and 
  his 
  balanced 
  judgment. 
  In 
  Trail 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  

   his 
  friendship 
  have 
  lost 
  a 
  wise 
  and 
  kindly 
  counsellor 
  ; 
  natural 
  science 
  has 
  lost 
  

   a 
  distinguished 
  worker 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  where 
  much 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  and 
  the 
  

   labourers 
  are 
  far 
  too 
  few. 
  

  

  D. 
  P. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XCI. 
  — 
  B. 
  

  

  