of Edinburgh, Session 1879 - 80 . 
351 
limited opportunities of cultivating his taste for natural history 
pursuits, hut such leisure as he enjoyed enabled him to collect 
various notes which, although not published at the time, became 
useful to him in after life. 
In 1832, Dr M‘Bain, in the capacity of assistant-surgeon, joined 
the “ Investigator,” a surveying ship, under the command of Captain 
Thomas, who was at that time employed in a survey of the Shetland 
Islands. This survey was completed in 1834, and was followed 
by a survey of the Orkney Islands, during which Dr M‘Bain and 
Captain Thomas prosecuted a series of successful dredgings in deep 
water between the two groups of islands, as well as along their 
shores. Much interesting information and material resulted from 
their joint labours, extending over a period of sixteen years, and 
was freely communicated to Messrs Forbes and Hanley and Dr 
Harvey, who were then engaged in bringing out their important 
works on Molluscous Animals and British Seaweeds. 
After settling for some years at Elie, in Fifeshire, and sub- 
sequently at Leith and Trinity, Dr M‘Bain continued to devote 
his time and attention to the investigation of the marine fauna 
of the Firth of Forth ; and while engaged in this he was the friend 
and frequent companion of Dr Fleming, Prof. Goodsir, Dr Strethill 
Wright, and other naturalists, who often accompanied him in his 
dredging excursions. During these years he took an active interest 
in the proceedings of the Royal Physical Society, of which society 
he was twice president, and contributed many papers of interest, 
which appeared at intervals from 1859 to the time of his death. 
He also contributed to a Topographical work by the Rev. W. Wood, 
Elie, entitled the “East Neuk of Fife,” an important catalogue 
of the Mollusca of the Firth of Forth, embracing 344 species — 
244 of which were collected by himself ; and while he was in 
the midst of such labours his friends had reason to regret that 
the state of his health and retiring modesty prevented him under- 
taking some independent work in which he might have done 
justice to his powers. He had an extensive knowledge of compara- 
tive anatomy, having at one period of his life enjoyed the advantage 
of studying under Professor Owen of London — a training to which 
much of the thoroughness of his knowledge as a naturalist may 
perhaps be attributed. 
