476 
IX MEMORIAM : JAMES SPENCER. 
Sigillaria, Stigmaria, Fern Spores, Astromyelon, Dadox^^lon, and 
other Coal Measure plants to be seen in his own cabinet, while 
a greater number have found their way into both private and 
public collections. 
Mr. Spencer did not consider himself sufficiently versed in 
structural botany to be able to scientifically describe anything 
at fu*st-hand, so that when he discovered any character in 
a fossil plant at all uncommon, however insignificant, he sent it 
to Professor Williamson, F.R.S., of Owens College, Manchester, 
who described it in his memoirs and always gave ample credit 
to the finder. 
There can be no doubt that Mr. Spencer did good work 
and was the means whereby much was added to our knowledge of 
the Carboniferous Flora. The greatest find made by Mr. Spencer 
was at Bradshaw Pit, near Halifax, about eight years ago, where 
he came across a new species of club moss. This was described 
by Professor Williamson, who named it Lepidodendron Spencer i, 
in honour of the discoverer. Mr. Spencer contributed a series of 
articles to Hardivick^s Science Gossip, which appeared from 
March, 1881, to July, 1883, entitled, "Recreations in Fossil 
Botany." They were based on his general work on the Car- 
boniferous Flora, and were well illustrated. At the York 
meeting of the British Association, in 1881, he read two papers. 
He has also read several papers before the Yorkshire Geological 
and Polytechnic Society. Mr. Spencer studied the " Glacial 
Drift " in the Calder Yalley and read papers on this important 
work. He was for some time curator of the Halifax Museum. 
He was continually adding to his collection of microscopic slides, 
and his love for geology was so deep-rooted that he pursued it 
to the end. His work was, however, unfortunately cut short 
just at a time when he had contemplated making a great 
improvement in cutting and grinding by adding a gas engine to 
his lathe. Contracting English cholera he died at his residence, 
No. 8, Salisbury Place, Akroydon, after an illness of only three 
days, on July 9th, 1898, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. He was 
interred in the cemetery of All Souls, Akroydon. R. Law. 
