Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London - University Library

LINXEAX SOCIETY Of LOXDOX. 35
At this starting point of liis life he had the good fortune, the luck
that waits on merit, to be engaj^ed as assistant to Professor Huxley
in the Biological Division of the Koyal School of Mines. In this
apprenticeship he won the respect and appreciation of his distinguished
chief, to whom he was himself heartily attached.
Accordingly in 1881 he was chosen to succeed Thomas JefEery
Parker as Demonstrator in Biology in what was at that time
styled the Normal School of Science and Royal School of Mines,
and at the same verbosely named iustitutiou he became Assistant-
Professor in 1885. Though nominally assistant Howes was in
reality the acting professor, Huxley's name in the titular professorship
beiug retained partly out of respect to that celebrated
man and partly for the gloritication of the school itself. Earlier
than tliis Howes had been appointed Lecturer on Anatomy at
St. George's Hospital Medical School. In 1895 he succeeded
Huxley in the full professorship of zoology in the great establishment
which at this date received its more compendious and more
dignified designation as the Royal College of Science. He
gallantly fulfilled the duties of this ofiice almost without
interruption until the breakdown of his health in 1903, finally
relinquishing it in 1904, when there was no longer any hope of
his permanent recovery. He died on February 4th, 1905, lamented
not only by those nearest and dearest to him, but by numerous
colleagues in whom his cheerfulness and generous temper had
kindled warm attachment, by old pupils deeply indebted to him
for instruction and encouragement, and by many learned societies
and associations which he had assisted in their business affairs
with ever ready help or enlightened on various occasions from the
vast stores of his scientific knowledge.
To the staple employment of his time already indicated, Howes
added the following activities. He was at one time or another
examiner in zoology at the University of London, in the honour
school of animal morphology at the University of Oxford, in zoology
and comparative anatomy for the Victorian University and for the
University of Xew Zealand, and assistant examiner in elementary
physiology, biology, and zoology to the Science and Art Department.
Together with these obviously strength-taxing employments
he readily accepted others which individually might seem unoppressive,
but which by accumulation are quite fitted to produce
an excessive strain on any man's endurance. Thus we find him at
various dates, member of council and vice-president of the Zoolo-
gical Society ; treasurer of the Anatomical Society (1890-1903) ;
treasurer of the Liunean Club ; zoological secretary of the Linnean
Society (1895-1903) ; serving on the zoology committee of the
Royal Society ; on the executive committee and delegate for the
Colony of Victoria at the International Congress of Zoology (1898)
delegate in various capacities and a vice-president at the Berlin
Congress (1901) ; an active member of the committee for the
reorganization of the Zoological Gardens (1902); president of
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