IN MEMORIAM : J. R. DAKYNS, M.A. 
161 
that his labour will not be lost, for it is likely to be continued by 
one of his closest friends. 
His bent toward Natural Science was indicated in his boy- 
hood by his devotion to the study of birds and by his gentle care 
for them — traits which were sustained to the end of his life. 
(I well recall his agitation, during my penultimate visit to him in 
Wales, lest a big owl that had strayed into the valley should 
become a victim to the gunners who were in chase of it.) During 
his college career, mathematics and astronomy were the subjects 
that especiall}^ attracted him ; but the range of his intellectual 
interests became ever wider and more varied, and he read deeply 
and earnestly in philosophy, history and anthropology, while 
the old folk-lore stories were always his recreation and delight. 
Combined with an intellect of exceptional acuteness and insight, 
he possessed a charming frankness and simplicity of character 
that gained him friends in every rank. His personality was 
striking ; his disposition, truly lovable ; and his life's path was 
everywhere marked by deeds of unobtrusive generosity and kind- 
ness. He remained unmarried, though his tenderness towards 
children was always notable. His affection for all dumb 
animals was unbounded ; and his whole-hearted devotion to his 
favourite dog is likely to become legendary in the valley of his 
last abode. 
Such are the main facts of his life. And, finally let me touch 
a note of personal appreciation and gratitude ; for, by the death 
of J. R. Dakjms, I have lost a friend to whom I owe more than 
can ever be expressed. We became acquainted on his first 
coming into the East Riding over 30 years ago, while I was still 
in the ra^\^less of youth ; and our companionship from that time 
onward w^as constant. He had travelled much in his younger 
days, in Iceland, Norway, S^\itzerland ; and not only had he 
read mdely and wisely, but he had also counted among his 
friends some of the keenest intellects of his time ; so that our 
converse was indeed to me ' a liberal education.' At first, I 
remember, I was almost alarmed by the sudden fierceness of his 
denunciation when some act of cruelty or injustice came to his 
notice, or occasionally, it may be, when I had slid into some 
crude sophistry or slack logic ; but the storm would pass quickly 
