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292 JOHN EALFS,
recorded nearly seven hundred species, most of uliicli were verified
by Berkeley and Broome. In 1883-4 he was President of the
Society. He recorded in the Report for 1887-8 his last additions
to the Flora.
He always took a great interest in the Penzance Public Library,
and in 1870 we learn from a letter to Broome that he was engaged
in making a "shelf-book," containing a list of the 12,000 volumes
included in the library. To this institution he presented his
MS. Flora of the Vice-county of West Cornwall, in nine volumes,
containing the result of his own fifty years' observations, besides
notes received from others.
In addition to the works already mentioned, we understand that
Balfs contributed jointly with the Rev. H. Penneck, "A Sketch of
the Botany of West Penwith," to Courtney's ' Guide to Penzance ';
and that he also contributed to Blight's ' Week at the Land's End.'
Fifteen papers stand under his name in the Royal Society's 'Catalogue
of Scientific Papers.' He supplied the list of Desmids to
Jenner's ' Flora of Tunbridge Wells,' and issued a fasciculus of
AlgaB : he also described an alga ['['ijndaridea anomala) for the
' Supplement to English Botany,' t. 2899.
In 1889 the Royal Microscopical Society somewhat tai'dily
recognised his eminent services to microscopical science by electing
him an Honorary Fellow. Many years ago it was proposed to
nominate him as an Associate of the Linnean Society, but this he
declined. Berkeley gave the name of lialfsia to a genus of Seaweeds,
and Wilson named a Juiujermavvia in his honour.
During the last few years of his life increasing deafness and
other infirmities, and frequent attacks of bronchitis, confined him
almost entirely to the house. Fortunately he was well cared for by
Miss Quick, in whose house he had lived for many years; indeed, no
relative could have been kinder or more devoted to him. He died
on July 14th, 1890, and was buried in the Penzance Cemetery.
We first made his personal acquaintance when visiting Penzance
in 1880, and we shall not forget the cordial way in which he
received us, nor the pleasant evenings we spent in his characteristic
naturalist's den, with its walls covered with books, and its general
litter of specimens and papers dimly discernible through the cloud of
tobacco-smoke—for Ralfs was an inveterate smoker. He took a great
deal of trouble to show us the localities of botanical interest in the
district, and no youthful naturalist could have been more enthusi-
astic than he was in field work. At that time he was engaged in
collecting beetles for Mr. Marquand's list, and his joy at finding a
species new to the district was so contagious as to make one want
to start as a beetle-collector on the spot. It was amusing to notice
the wonder of a passer-by at seeing this grave looking old gentleman,
in the old-time professional swallow-tail coat and black stock (which
he never relinquished), squatting down by a road side pool, eagerly
examining the contents of his dredging-net, and utterly oblivious of
the muddy water dripping over his clothes.
He was well known and much respected in Penzance and its
neighbourhood, and his kiiidly unselfish character endeared him to
his many friends. He has been described as of a retiring and silent