SO 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND. 
and especially in India and Ceylon. ” There is no doubt, I think, that 
the suggestion eventually led to the appointment soon after (1912) by 
the Queensland Government of a travelling commission comprising 
T. Harvey Johnston (chairman), H. Tryon (member) and C. W. Holland 
(secretary) to visit the many countries where prickly-pears were 
indigenous or had been introduced and become naturalised, and to 
investigate means of control that might be applied in Australia. In 
“The Biological Campaign against Prickly Pear,” published in 1940 
under the authority of the Prickly Pear Board, A. P. Dodd, officer in 
charge of Scientific Investigations, stated: “The commission spent 
eighteen months in visiting the many countries where prickly-pears were 
indigenous or had become acclimatised, and in its subsequent compre- 
hensive and most valuable report made definite recommendations for the 
introduction under safeguards of certain insects and diseases from 
America. During its travels the commission forwarded to Australia 
from Ceylon small stocks of the cochineals, Daetylopius ceylonicus and 
D. greeni; the former insect was successfully reared by Dr. Jean White- 
Haney at the Dulacca Experiment Station, was liberated in the field, and 
in the space of a few years almost completely destroyed the scattered 
areas of 0 punt id monacantha. At this stage it should be mentioned that 
among the prickly-pear insects encountered by the travelling commission 
was Cactoblastis cactorum, larvae of which were found in the Botanic 
Gardens at La Plata, Argentine. Mr. Tryon actually brought some of 
the caterpillars alive to Brisbane, but failed to rear them through to the 
adult stage. Had this effort been successful, the control of prickly-pear 
may well have been brought about years earlier than has been the case.” 
His wife predeceased him by some years and the death of his elder 
daughter shortly before his own death was a great blow to him, as he 
had bought a new house and arranged for her to live with him and keep 
it on after his death. A son died in childhood. He is survived by a 
married daughter (Mrs. Hubert Jarvis) and two grandchildren. 
In appearance Tryon was rather tall and of medium build — in later 
years inclined to be sparse ; he had a pale skin and always wore during 
the thirty-odd years I knew him a moustache and short beard. He was 
a distinguished-looking man and might be described as typically 
English in appearance, or perhaps we should say nobody would mistake 
him for other than an Englishman. He was a very vigorous man, and 
one of his favourite pastimes was taking long walks in the bush. On 
these occasions he usually walked with rather a loping gait, by which he 
could cover many miles in a day. On most of these natural history 
rambles he was accompanied by friends, but many walks were taken by 
himself. In spite of the fact that he is primarily known as an 
entomologist, it always seemed to me that plants claimed his main 
attention on these outings. He was a very keen geologist and a life 
member of the Geologists’ Association (Eng.). He always wore heavy 
suits of dark material, even in hot weather, a large black tie, and single 
standup collar. He had a ready wit, though his remarks were frequently 
on the personal side and sarcastic enough to create for him some enemies. 
His interests were not confined to science, broad though they were 
in that sphere ; but he was an omnivorous reader of history, theology, 
poetry, and the classics. He was a striking personality; his death left a 
decided blank in Queensland natural history circles, and severed a link 
with the earlier scientific life of the State. 
A complete list of his publications was given in the “Queensland 
Agricultural Journal” for August, 1929 (Yol. xxxii., pp. 178-183). 
