RETURN TO LIBRARY OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY WOODS HOLE, MASS. LOANED BY AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY The Annals OF Scottish Natural History A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED CIjc Uaturaltet EDITED BY J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S. MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS UNION JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. PROFESSOR OF BOTANY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN AND WILLIAM EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., F.R.S.E. NATURAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT, ROYAL SCOTTISH MUSEUM, EDINBURGH 1904 EDINBURGH DAVID DOUGLAS, CASTLE STREET LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES ST., CAVENDISH SQUARE A The Annals of Scottish Natural History NO. 49] 1904 [JANUARY REV. JOHN STEVENSON, LL.D. OBITUARY. THE Rev. John Stevenson was born at Coupar Angus, on the borders of Forfarshire and Perthshire, in 1836, his father being the Rev. Patrick James Stevenson, clergyman of the parish for upwards of fifty-two years. In 1850 he after went to the University of St. Andrews ; and, passing through the courses of study in Arts and Theology, he was, in 1859 (along with his brother Patrick, now minister of Inverarity in Forfarshire) licensed as a preacher in the Established Church of Scotland. Very soon he became Assistant in the West Church in Aberdeen, and in 1861 was presented to the church of Millbrex in Aberdeenshire, in 1865 to the parish of Dun near Montrose, and in 1873 to Glamis near Forfar, not far from his birthplace. About the year 1870 interest re-awoke among Scottish botanists in the great group of Fungi, which for a consider- able time had received little careful attention except from one " " or two. The Scottish Naturalist almost coincided in its commencement with this new movement, and did much to the aid it, the earlier volumes containing valuable lists, by Rev. Dr. Keith and others, of the numerous novelties discovered. Great encouragement and assistance was given 49 B 2 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY in these researches by the Rev. Miles J. Berkeley, to whom most of the forms were sent in the fresh state, and by whom they were named and recorded in the long series of ' Notices of British Fungi,' published by M. J. Berkeley " and C. E. Broome in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History." Mr. Stevenson began his residence at Glamis when interest in was and near fungi very strong ; fortunately the Manse was ground peculiarly rich for several years in numerous forms of the larger fungi. Soon he was prominent among the most successful discoverers of addi- " " tions to the British lists of fungi, and Glamis became a very familiar locality to students of Mr. Berkeley's " Notices." But not content with discovering and forwarding these forms to be named, Mr. Stevenson made a careful personal study especially of the Hyuienomycetcs, and was recognised as an authority on these fungi. He took an active part in the foundation of the Scottish Cryptogamic Society in 1874, and in the very successful exhibition of fungi in Perth with which it was inaugurated. In 1879 he laid students of the fungi of Scotland under great obligations by the publication " of Mycologia Scotica," printed for the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland. In this were enumerated all forms that had been published by Greville, Johnstone, Gardiner, and Dickie in their local floras, by Berkeley and others in British floras, " and by numerous writers in such journals as Annals and " Magazine of Natural History," Grevillea," "Journal of " Botany," Scottish Naturalist," and transactions of scientific " societies. The number of named forms, including pro- visional species," is 2156; and for each of these the geographical distribution is indicated as far as known, under natural areas based on the chief watersheds. The book gave a great stimulus to the study of the fungi of Scotland, both by the information gathered up in it and by directing attention to the groups of fungi and the little or was known districts of Scotland of which nothing ; and very substantial progress was made in the discovery of additional species, in the extension of the known areas of distribution of many, and in the recognition of the REV. JOHN STEVENSON, LL.D. 3 true relations to one another of many of the recorded forms. In 1886 appeared "British Fungi (Hymenomycetes)," " in two octavo volumes, founded chiefly on Fries' Hymeno- " " mycetes Europaei and Monographia Hymenomycetum Suecize," but embodying the labours of Berkeley and other mycologists in this great division of fungi. A great admiration for the work of Fries, based on a very intimate knowledge of his writings and on their practical application, led Mr. Stevenson to take peculiar care to secure accuracy in the rendering into English of Fries' descriptions, which " " are in Latin. British Fungi was welcomed as a valuable aid to students of the Hymenomycetes of Britain. Mr. Stevenson took a keen interest in the prosperity of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland, being Honorary Secretary almost from its origin until 1903, when ill-health rendered him unable to discharge the duties, and led to his resignation. He was rarely absent from the annual gatherings, to the pleasure and success of which he very largely contributed by his unfailing geniality and by his readiness to place his wide knowledge freely at the service of every one whom it could help. His death will leave a grievous blank in the future meetings of the Society. In 1888 his Alma Mater, the University of St. Andrews, conferred upon him, honoris causa, the degree of LL.D. Few men have possessed more strongly than Dr. Steven- son the gift of winning personal regard as well as respect and esteem, feelings that grew stronger the longer and more intimately he was known. None that knew him could fail to recognise in him a true man, desirous to do to others as he would have others do to him, strong and ready to help those in need of his aid. His health gave way some months before his death, which occurred on 2/th November 1903. He has left a widow and two daughters. 4 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY THE OCCURRENCE OF THE SPERM WHALE OR CACHALOT IN THE SHETLAND SEAS. By SIR WILLIAM TURNER, K.C.B., F.R.S. 1 PLATE I. IN August 1901 Mr. Thomas Anderson, merchant, Hillswick, to whom and to other members of whose family I have on several occasions been indebted for specimens to illustrate the Zoology of Shetland, wrote to tell me that a dead whale had been found floating near Hillswick and had been towed into Roeness Voe. It was within three miles of land when seen by the fishermen and was claimed by the Crown. From the appearance of the animal Mr. Anderson thought that it was a sperm whale, and he sent me the following description, from which it was clear that he had correctly recognised it. head was and blunt at its free The very large end ; the blow-hole was near the end of the head the ; eye was low near the of the mouth there was down, angle ; no dorsal fin, but only a hump where the fin is usually situated the lower contained teeth. The ; jaw large animal was a male and was 6 1 feet long. Mr. Anderson further stated that the salvers had bought the whale, and that if I wished the skeleton, or any part thereof, he thought that he could procure it for me. I gladly availed myself of his kind offer, but owing to the size of the animal, the weight of the head, the difficulty of taking a steamer into the Voe where the whale was lying, and the storms of the winter, it was not possible to secure more than the lower jaw, the teeth, and the tympano-petrous bones. In flensing the carcase the point of a massive explosive harpoon was found imbedded in the head of the whale, and had probably been the cause of death. The harpoon had penetrated 1 A communication made to the Royal Society of Edinburgh on iSth May 1903, and reproduced, with the permission of the author, from the Proceedings of that Society, with additional notes. We desire to acknowledge the courtesy of the Council of the Royal Society in granting us the use of the blocks from which the plate has been produced. EDS. ANN. SCOT. NAT. HIST. 1304. PLATE I. Teeth of 1 Kiulimentary Sperm Whale. (Natural Size. THE SPERM WHALE IN THE SHETLAND SEAS the great chamber for the lodgment of the spermaceti, which, in consequence, had to a large extent drained away, so that the captors obtained only a small quantity of this valuable fat. The blubber yielded about 450 gallons of oil. When the stomach was opened, numerous beaks of cuttlefish were found in it. But in addition a quantity of fish-hooks of various sizes were observed, ranging from those used for catching haddocks to the largest size made for use in Shetland and the Faroe Islands for the capture of halibut. It would seem, therefore, as if the animal had also lived on fish, and had cleared the fishermen's lines, and swallowed the fish and the hooks to which they were attached. Mr. Anderson writes me that a careful search in the intestine of the Shetland specimen for ambergris was made, but without success. He states that the fishermen told him that in flensing the whale they found hair in places rooted in the skin but as no of the skin was ; portion preserved, neither he nor I was able to put this statement to the test of observation.