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Young Mr. Davidson attended the courses of lectures delivered at the 

 Sorbonne, Jardin des Plants, Ecole des Mines, and College de France. 

 These courses were given by Cordier, Elie de Beaumont, Constant 

 Prevost, Dufrenoy, Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, Dumeril, Valenceinnes, 

 de Blainville, Milne Edwards, Audouin, Brongniart, Pouillet, &c. 



In 1832 Sir Charles Lyell's "Principles of Geology," and his 

 intimacy with Constant Prevost, led him to give much attention to 

 geology and palaeontology, and at fifteen years of age he had already, 

 under the guidance of Prevost, explored the greater part of the Paris 

 basin, securing a good collection of its rocks and typical fossils. 



In 1835 he matriculated at the University of Edinburgh, studied 

 mineralogy under Professor Jamieson, chemistry under Dr. Reid, and 

 assisted Mr. R. Cunningham in his geological survey of the Lothians. 



In 1836 he returned to the Continent and explored a considerable 

 portion of France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy ; his 

 acquaintance in 1837 with the distinguished Prussian geologist, Von 

 Buch, led to his undertaking the special study of the then little 

 understood recent and fossil Brachiopoda, the elaboration of which 

 or any other group of Mollusca has never been surpassed ; the elucida- 

 • tion of their characters, classification, and history, as well as of their 

 geological and geographical distribution, being now complete through 

 his labours. From that year up to a short period prior to his death, 

 Mr. Davidson unceasingly laboured to advance this special branch of 

 Palaeontology. 



For some years Mr. Davidson was an attentive and distinguished 

 pupil of Paul Delaroche, and studied under Horace Yernet and other 

 French Academicians at the 111 cole des Beaux Arts. He spent the 

 winter of 1841 in Rome, devoting himself to the art of painting, but 

 his love for scientific research predominated, and he subsequently 

 brought his artistic knowledge to bear upon his favourite scientific 

 branch of study. 



In 1846-47 Mr. Davidson made a careful examination of the 

 Silurian districts for the purpose of his palseontological researches, 

 and in 1850 he commenced that grand series of memoirs in the 

 " Paleeontographical Society's Transactions," which mainly terminated 

 in 1871 (extensive supplements following). This distinguished natu- 

 ralist has published or written for the Palaeontographical Society five 

 large quarto volumes, containing nearly 3000 pages of text, and 250 

 plates, all the figures of which have been executed by himself and pre- 

 sented to the Society free of all expense, and this on one subject only.* 



* The monographs extend from the year 1851 to the present time, the final 

 portion of the fifth volume being now in the press, and completing his great and 

 laborious life-wort. His posthumous papers will shortly be published in the 

 " Transactions of the Linnean Society," his last contribution being a complete and 

 finely illustrated monograph upon the "Recent Brachiopoda," in three parts. 



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