XV111 



Obituary Notices of Fellows deceased. 



biological subjects, and sbows how much keener interest can be aroused in 

 such a topic as the Alternation of Generations by finding out step hy step 

 how it was discovered, and sharing the discoverer's own enthusiasm, than by 

 taking it as a mass of cut-and-dried facts. 



After spending half a dozen very pleasant years at Ben Ehydding, Miall 

 moved back to Leeds, partly for the convenience of the two sons who were 

 then at home again, and he remained in Headingley till he gave up his 

 Professorship in 1907. The last years in Leeds were much occupied with 

 methods of teaching, and he now attended the new Education Section of the 

 British Association when he happened to be present at the meetings. In 

 1903 he was chairman of a committee to report on the teaching of Botany. 



In 1902 appeared a volume on " Injurious and Useful Insects," an excursion 

 into economic entomology, which he felt to be an important field of investiga- 

 tion, needing especially complete life-histories of insects to make it valuable. 

 No doubt the main idea was right and has since been followed up with good 

 results, but Miall was not himself in close enough touch with agriculture to 

 make the book altogether a success, from the economic point of view. The 

 life-histories of insects that it contains are, however, still useful to economic 

 entomologists. 



At the inauguration of the University of Leeds in 1904, Miall was given 

 the Honorary Degree of D.Sc, the only academic distinction that he ever 

 attained. That year and the year following he had the honour of holding the 

 Fullerian Professorship at the Boyal Institution. At that time also he was 

 asked to serve on the Council of the Eoyal Society, but unwillingly declined 

 as he had already so much on hand. 



In 1908, after his retirement to Letchworth, he was President of the 

 Education Section at the British Association in Dublin, and that was the last 

 meeting that he was able to attend, on account of increasing deafness. 

 Many activities had to be given up for the same reason, but he was still able 

 to carry on individual teaching. From his wife, who was as keen an 

 educationist as himself, he had learnt the direct method of teaching modern 

 languages and applied it in a way of his own to the teaching of Latin, writing 

 out a series of oral lessons and learning, when over seventy, to speak Latin 

 fluently with the modern pronunciation. Since his school days, he had 

 never altogether neglected his classical studies and, though he sold most of 

 his books when he left Leeds, he had kept such Latin and Greek authors as 

 he happened to possess. 



It might be noted here that all his life he loved books and was interested 

 in the care and binding of them. He was for many years Hon. Librarian 

 of the Yorkshire College. The only half-disparaging remark he was known 

 to make about Charles Darwin referred to the ruthless way he treated books. 



Writing was an occupation that he maintained to the end of his life. 

 The first book that he wrote at Letchworth was the " History of Biology," a 

 clear and illuminating resume" of the subject that led to the more important 

 work on the "Early Naturalists (1530-1789)." It begins with an intro- 



