MACGILLIVRAY

macgillivray, william (1796-1852), scottish naturalist, was born at aberdeen on the 25th of january 1796. at king's college, aberdeen, he graduated in 1815, and also studied medicine, but did not complete the latter course. in 1823 he became assistant to r. jameson, professor of natural history in edinburgh university; and in 1831 he was appointed curator of the museum of the royal college of surgeons in edinburgh, a post which he resigned in 1841 to become professor of natural history and lecturer on botany in marischal college, aberdeen. he died at aberdeen on the 4th of september 1852. he possessed a wide and comprehensive knowledge of natural science, gained no less from personal observations in different parts of scotland than from a study of collections and books. his industry and extensive knowledge are amply shown in his published works. he assisted j. j. audubon in his classical works on the _birds of america_, and edited w. withering's _british plants_. his larger works include biographies of a. von humboldt, and of zoologists from aristotle to linnaeus, a _history of british quadrupeds_, a _history of the molluscous animals of aberdeen, banff and kincardine_, a _manual of british ornithology_, and a _history of british birds_, in 5 vols. (1837-1852). the last work holds a high rank from the excellent descriptions of the structure, habits and haunts of birds, and from the use in classification of characters afforded by their anatomical structure. his _natural history of deeside_, posthumously published by command of queen victoria, was the result of a sojourn in the highlands of aberdeenshire in 1850. he made large collections, alike for the instruction of his students and to illustrate the zoology, botany and geology of the parts of scotland examined by him, especially around aberdeen, and a number of his original water-colour drawings are preserved in the british museum (natural history). his eldest son, john macgillivray (1822-1867), published an account of the voyage round the world of h.m.s. "rattlesnake," on board of which he was naturalist. another son, paul, published an _aberdeen flora_ in 1853. macgregor, john ["rob roy"] (1825-1892), scottish canoeist, traveller and philanthropist, son of general sir duncan macgregor, k.c.b., was born at gravesend on the 24th of january 1825. he combined a roving disposition with a natural taste for mechanics and for literature. in 1839 he went to trinity college, dublin, and in 1844 to trinity, cambridge, where he was a wrangler. he was called to the bar in 1851, but did not pursue his profession. he travelled a great deal in europe, egypt, palestine, russia, algeria and america, and between 1853 and 1863 was largely occupied with researches into the history and methods of marine propulsion. he was the pioneer of british canoeing. in 1865 he started on a long canoeing cruise in his "rob roy" canoe, and in this way made a prolonged water tour through europe, a record of which he published in 1866 as _a thousand miles in the rob roy canoe_. this book made macgregor and his canoe famous. he made similar voyages in later years in norway, sweden and denmark, the north sea and palestine. another voyage, in the english channel and on french waters, was made in a yawl. he published accounts of all these journeys. he did not, however, confine his energies to travelling. he was active in charity and philanthropic work, being one of the founders of the shoe-black brigade. in 1870 and again in 1873 he was elected on the london school board. he died at boscombe on the 16th of july 1892.