Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London - University Library

34
PEOCEEDINGS OF THE
business ; eight years later he was taken into partnership, visited
England, was married, and returned to Eio after only a few months
absence. With occasional trips elsewhere, he lived in Brazil till
1858, and his chief pleasure was in devoting his spare time to the
study of insects, frequently spending hours at night collecting
night-flying species by aid of a lantern.
Eeturning to England whilst still a young man, he continued to
add to his collection, only ceasing when health and sight began to
fail. Amongst these accessions were Pai'ry's collection of Longicornia,
and large numbers collected by Wallace, Doherty, Whitehead
at Kinabalu, and the types described by Bates. These having
been examined and named by specialists, have a very high value,
though their owner did not publish observations on any part of
his possessions. On his return to England he had entered into
business with his brother-in-law, the son of our late Fellow,
Mr. John Miers, F.E.S., as Frv, Miers & Co., remaining a partner
till 1898. He died at Norwood, on 26th February, 1905, aged 83,
bequeathing his collections, the largest and finest of their kind in
the United Kingdom, to the nation ; the number is estimated at
200,000 specimens, especially rich in beetles. His Fellowship dated
from 4th February, 1855. [B. D. J.]
JoHis^ HoE]!fE, who died at St. Clements, Jersey, on 16th April,
1905, will be known to many as the author of ' A Tear in Fiji
or an enquiry into the botanical, agricultural, and economical
resources of the Colony,' London, 1881. He was attached in
1861 to the Department of Works and Forests, Mauritius, of
which he became the head, and Director of the Botanic Gardens
in that island. In 1877 he accepted an invitation from Sir Arthur
Gordon, then governor of Fiji, to visit those islands, and spent
a year's leave in exploring them, and making a collection of plants,
which were determined at Kew. The volume named above contains,
in Appendixes, the author's recommendations as to india-
rubber, sandalwood, and general forest matters, with a list of
the species known to occur on the islands, many new species with
mere names, which were in part afterwards taken up by later
writers. The total number of specimens sent by Mr. Home to the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, between 1865 and 1883 amounted
to nearly 3000. On retiring from the Colonial Service he settled
in Jersey, where he died; his connection with the Linuean
Society dated from 4th December, 1873.
Thomas George Bond Howes, born in London on the 7th of
September, 1853, was the eldest son of Thomas Johnson Howes,
and a grandson of Captain George Augustus Bond, of the Hon.
East India Company's Service. After education at a private
school he found, at the age of twenty-one, a fair opening for the
scientific career which he was destined to follow during nearly
thirty years with ever increasing honour, satisfaction, and success.
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