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OBITUARY WILLIAM ROWAN.

The sudden death at the age of sixty-five of Prof. Rowan on 30 June 1957, at his home in Edmonton, came as a blow to his personal acquaintances and a wide circle of ornithologists and will be deeply felt by biologists interested in photo-biological phenomena all over the world. Rowan died less than a year after his retirement from the University of Alberta where he first orga- nized a Department of Zoology in 1920 and remained at its head for thirty-six years. He was born in Switzerland, his father being Irish and his mother Danish. After early years spent on the Continent his .family moved to England in 1900. He spent three years in western Canada returning to England at the age of twenty-one. In 1912 he entered University College, London, and graduated in Zoology in 1917, his studies having been interrupted by military service. He was appointed to a lectureship at the University of Manitoba in 1919 and married before leaving England. The following year he began his work in Edmonton.

His interest in birds dates from his early twenties (he joined the B.O.U. in 1918), his first major original contribution being a study of breeding habits of the Merlin (' Brit. Birds ' Vol. 15). Soon after making his home in Edmonton he began a study of the waders of the region, which led to a series of papers " Notes on Alberta Waders included in the British List " in British Birds (Vols. 20, 23 and 24). He was an exceptionally gifted draughtsman; some of his work illustrates the papers just cited, while larger sketches were later exhibited at the Royal Canadian Academy of Art.

He was impressed by the regular arrival of spring migrants, irrespective of wide weather variations at corresponding dates in different years. This led him to look for the possibility that increasing periods of daylight, an unvarying seasonal factor, might provide the stimulus to spring migration. In the early twenties he succeeded in bringing captive Juncos into breeding condition (with full gonadal recrudescence) in midwinter, by providing increasing periods of illumination from ordinary electric lights. Light- treated birds on liberation left the vicinity, while controls remained about the site of liberation, suggesting an association of migratory behaviour with gonadal recrudescence. Similar experiments with ringed Crows followed. Recoveries of a significant number of " lighted " Crows liberated in mid- winter from the northwest of Edmonton were obtained, while none of the controls were recovered from that direction. Later work by others has amply confirmed his original discovery of light as the principal factor inducing avian gonadal development. This led to much fruitful experimental work on light-induced responses in general, though the bearing of gonadal activa-

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tion on spring migration is now regarded as less certain. Rowan’s experi- mental work in these lines led to his election to the Royal Society of Canada (1936) and the award of its Flavelle medal in 1946. His address “ Experi- ments in bird migration” Trans. Roy. SOC. Canada, 3rd Ser., Section V, 40 : 123-135, 1946, gives a brief summary with references to his publications on this theme while a fuller treatment will be found in his ‘ Riddle of Migration ’ (Williams & Wilkins 1931).

In later years his interest turned largely to the “ ten-year ” cycle of the Snow-shoe Hare and its fur-bearing predators and the similar cycle affecting various grouse. He was particularly impressed by evidence that the Euro- pean Partridge, introduced into Alberta about forty-years ago, is now also affected by this cycle. His views on this problem are summarized in his article in ‘ New Biology ’ 9 : 38-58, 1950.

His juniors found him an untiring and witty, if sometimes cynical, com- panion on birding trips and on the hunting field. They will miss him deeply not only as a scientist, but as a friend.

E. 0. H.

NORMAN BOYD KINNEAR.

Norman Boyd Kinnear, who died suddenly at his home in Wimbledon on 11 August 1957, his 75th birthday, was the second son of C. H. G. Kinnear, an architect. He was born in Edinburgh in 1882 and was educated at Edinburgh Academy and Trinity College, Glenalmond. In 1905 he became a voluntary assistant at the Royal Scottish Museum, under Dr. Eagle Clark and took part in a collecting expedition to Spitsbergen. In 1907 Norman Kinnear was appointed Curator of the Bombay Natural History Society’s Museum and soon after became Assistant Editor of their Journal. During his time in India he made an extensive study of Indian birds and collaborated with many ornithologists who specialised in the birds of that country. He returned to Britain in 1920 to take up a special appointment in the Zoology Department of the British Museum (Natural History); he was appointed Assistant Keeper in 1928, Deputy Keeper in charge of birds in 1936 and Keeper of Zoology in 1945. On the day after he had reached the age of retirement it was announced that he had been appointed Director, an exceptional step and one which was a great compliment to his personal qualities. He was the first ornithologist to attain this position and held the Directorship for three years during which, in the words of one of the Trustees “he did a wonderful bit of work at a difficult time in the Museum”. He was appointed C.B. in 1948 and knighted in 1950.

Kinnear will be remembered with particular gratitude by all those who visited, or wrote to, the Bird Room for information, for, no matter how busy, he was unstinting with help and advice. To the young and

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inexperienced he was especially kind and there are many leading ornithologists today who owe much to Kinnear for his encouragement of their earlier efforts. Even after he became Director he remained equally accessible and ready to help.

Norman Kinnear’s association with the British Ornithologists’ Union started at the age of 20 when he was elected a member at an Annual Meeting presided over by Dr. P. L. Sclater in the unavoidable absence of the President, Dr. F. du Cane Godman. I t is difficult to present in any way adequately the services Norman Kinnear rendered to ornithology in general and the Union in particular during the following 55 years. He served on the Union Committee from 1925-28 and again from 1941-43. He was Vice-president from 1938-40 and President from 1943-48. It was fortunate for the B.O.U. that Kinnear was its President during the difficult years immediately following the Second World War and the part he played in reviving the Union and setting it on solid foundations proved of inestimable value for the future. It was mainly due to his vision that the highly successfuly ornithological conference was held, jointly with the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, in Edinburgh in 1947. It “as the first occasion on which ornithologists had been able to come together after the war and in addition to members of the B.O.U. and S.O.C. from all over England, Wales and Scotland, forty-six ornithologists from 14 different countries accepted an invitation to attend. The friendliness and charm with which Norman Kinnear presided over the proceedings and the warmth of welcome he gave to all is not forgotten easily. Though no linguist, he was always able to make himself understood by the great trouble he took in speaking slowly and distinctly, and this courtesy and consideration was typical of everything he did. He attended few international congresses but made an exception in 1950 when he went to Sweden for the first post-war congress, in Uppsala. The official announce- ment that the honour of knighthood had been conferred on him appeared during the course of the congress and gave particular pleasure to both his British and foreign friends. He was promptly taken off and toasted in champagne in many languages.

Norman Kinnear also did much for the British Ornithologists’ Club; he was Editor of the Bulletin from 1925-30, Vice-chairman from 1933-35, and Honorary Secretary from 1940-43.

He was an early member of the British Trust for Ornithology and for many years served on the Council, of which he subsequently became Chair- man. From 1935 onwards he was a member of the British Section, Inter- national Committee for Bird Preservation, and in 1947 succeeded Dr. Percy Lowe as Chairman, a position he retained until his death. His wise counsel, broad outlook and rational approach assured the successful solution of many problems, and he was regarded with both respect and affection in other countries. He served on the Home Office Advisory Committee which

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drew up the original proposals for the Bird Protection Act 1954, and in 1950, as Advisor to the Home Office delegate, attended the conference in Paris which approved proposals for the revision of the International Conven- tion for the Protection of Birds.

So many organisations benefited from Norman Kinnear’s services that it is not possible to mention them all. He always gave them conscientious support and never undertook a task without carrying out his commitments to the full.

The objects of the National Trust were of great interest to him and he never lost an opportunity of furthering them. He joined the Estates Committee in 1935, and the Executive Committee in 1942, and remained a member of both until his death. He similarly served on the Advisory Committee on Natural History and the Nature Conservation Committee. He was one of the earliest members of the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves, of which he became a Vice-president in 1947, and took part in the work of the Nature Reserves Investigation Committees, organized by the S.P.N.R., which eventually led to the formation of the Nature Conservancy. He was appointed a member of the Nature Conservancy on its establishment in 1949 and served his full term of office till 1955; he also served on a number of committees of that body.

He was a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, for mmy years on its Council, and was elected a Vice-president. He was also a Fellow and keen supporter of the Linnean Society of London.

Kinnear’s first contribution to ornithological literature appears to have been a paper on “ The Crested Tit (Parus mistatus) in Lower Strathspey ” published in the ‘Annals of Scottish Natural History ’ in 1903. He became a regular contributor to the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society ’ shortly after his arrival in India, his first paper being on The Indian three- toed Kingfisher (Ceyxz triductylu) at Matheran ”, published in 1909. On his return to England he wrote an important paper on the birds collected by A. F. R. Wollaston during the first Mount Everest Expedition (‘ Ibis’, July 1922) and subsequently contributed papers on other collections, includ- ing those from Northern Tonkin and Central South Arabia, to this journal. He collaborated in writing the Vernay Scientific Survey of the Eastern Ghats (‘J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.’, July 1930) with Hugh Whistler, with whom he wrote many other papers, and also wrote in collaboration with C. B. Ticehurst, F. Ludlow, Percy Lowe and G. L. Bates. He described a number of new forms in the ‘ Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club ’ and was responsible for the zoological notes in the publications of the Hakluyt Society.

Kinnear was greatly interested in the older ornithologists and their work, particularly the records of early voyagers. He made copious notes on many of the early naturalists and collectors, most of which have never been pub-

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lished, and did much work on Cook’s voyages and the records made by his naturalists. He spent endless time and effort in ensuring that the work of his friends and colleagues reached publication. The publication by the British Museum of the observations made by the members of the ‘ Terra Nova ’ Expedition 1910, chiefly by Dr. Edward Wilson, which, after many delays, Percy Lowe and he succeeded in achieving in 1930, no doubt brought him very great pleasure. Such an instance was typical of Kinnear.

Norman Kinnear’s memory was phenomenal and on any subject being discussed he could quote a statement or correspondence, no matter if it dated back 20 or 30 years or more, with the greatest accuracy and detail. He would take infinite trouble for anyone who asked his help and would put his own interests on one side to do so, But of all his attributes his tact and ability to smooth down difficulties were perhaps paramount. On many occasions of friction with two people at odds Kinnear, with great under- standing and diplomacy, would ease the situation, though if asked how he did it his reply would invariably be : “ Oh I just told them not to be such silly asses.”

Though specialising in birds, Norman Kinnear was an all-round naturalist and his interest in mammals and other members of the animal kingdom was only equalled by his keenness on botany. He was a great gardener and even when he broke his leg nothing made him more happy than dragging himself round his garden on crutches attending to his beloved flowers.

In 1913 he married Gwendolen Beatrice, daughter of Dr. William Millard of Edinburgh, and they had two daughters.

At the time of his death Sir Norman was collaborating with Dr. R. C. Stephen, in a ‘ History of the Collections of the Royal Scottish Museum ’. His ornithological career has thereby gone full cycle and it is left to someone else to do for him, a task which he so readily did for so many others.

P. B-S.