472 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
Slight, “ The Book of Farm Implements and Machines;” in con- 
junction with Mr R. Scott Brown, the “Book of Farm Buildings;” 
in conjunction with Dr Seller, “Physiology at the Farm;” the 
“Manual of Practical Draining;” the “Yester Deep Land Cul- 
ture;” and the “ Catechism of Practical Agriculture.” 
He was an original and active member of the Meteorological 
Society of Scotland, and, although not writing much on the subject, 
he was in constant communication with the Secretary of the Society, 
especially in giving advice and assistance in all questions of mete- 
orological science which had a special bearing on agriculture. 
Mr Stephens, for many years previous to his death, was in the 
habit of repairing annually for the recruitment of his health to 
Homburg, and, in the course of his various visits to Germany, 
visited all the more celebrated vine growing districts on the Rhine. 
He carried his agricultural spirit with him in all these trips, noting 
all the processes of vine cultivation, even to its minutest details, 
and bringing back with him an ever increasing appreciation of all 
the best vintages of the Rhine, of which he always possessed a 
modest but select store, with which he delighted to refresh any 
friend visiting him at Redbraes, whom he thought capable of fully 
estimating his favourite wines. He had, however, even better 
entertainment for his visitors in his conversation, which was to the 
last full of good nature, with a large spice of “ pawky ” humour, 
sometimes in his later years a little prolix, but always yielding 
something in the way of anecdote or scientific — especially agricul- 
tural — observation worth listening to. For many years he had 
been made aware that he had a certain amount of organic change of 
structure in the aortic orifice of the heart; but this made no progress, 
and, so far as it was concerned, he might have prolonged his days. 
His death, however, was ultimately due to accident. It is remark- 
able that he was three times the subject of poisoning. He was one 
of the first of several instances which have occurred of poisoning 
by the flesh of American partridges, and his case was graphically 
narrated by his then medical attendant and friend, the late Dr 
Burt. He, on another occasion, suffered a good deal by the 
inhalation of coal gas which had escaped in his bedroom during 
the night, but from this he soon got well. It was, however, a 
repetition of this accident which ultimately led to his death. On 
