Dr. Falconer was a Vice-President of the Royal Society and Foreign Secretary of the Geological Society. "Falconer did enough during his lifetime to render his name as a palaeontologist immortal in science; but the work which he published was only a fraction of what he accomplished...He was cautious to a fault; he always feared to commit himself to an opinion until he was sure he was right, and he died in the prime of his life and in the fulness of his power." (Biographical sketch contributed by Charles Murchison to his edition of Hugh Falconer's "Palaeontological Memoirs and Notes," London, 1868; "Proc. R. Soc." Volume XV., page xiv., 1867: "Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc." Volume XXI., page xlv, 1865.) Hugh Falconer was among those who did not fully accept the views expressed in the "Origin of Species," but he could differ from Darwin without any bitterness. Two years before the book was published, Darwin wrote to Asa Gray: "The last time I saw my dear old friend Falconer he attacked me most vigorously, but quite kindly, and told me, 'You will do more harm than any ten naturalists will do good. I can see that you have already corrupted and half spoiled Hooker.'" ("Life and Letters," II., page 121.) The affectionate regard which Darwin felt for Falconer was shared by their common friend Hooker. The following extract of a letter from Hooker to Darwin (February 3rd, 1865) shows clearly the strong friendships which Falconer inspired: "Poor old Falconer! how my mind runs back to those happiest of all our days that I used to spend at Down twenty years ago--when I left your home with my heart in my mouth like a schoolboy. We last heard he was ill on Wednesday or Thursday, and sent daily to enquire, but the report was so good on Saturday that we sent no more, and on Monday night he died...What a mountainous mass of admirable and accurate information dies with our dear old friend! I shall miss him greatly, not only personally, but as a scientific man of unflinching and uncompromising integrity--and of great weight in Murchisonian and other counsels where ballast is sadly needed." -article in "Natural History Review." -Darwin's Copley medal and. -Darwin's criticism of his elephant work. -Darwin's regard for. -Forbes attacked by. -his opinion of Forbes. -goes to India. -Hooker's regard for. -letter to Darwin. -letter to Sharpey. -letters to. -letter to "Athenaeum." -Lyell and. -on Mastodon andium. -on Mastodon of Australia. -on elephants. -Owen and. -on phyllotaxis. -on Plagiaulax. -speech at Cambridge. -"Memoirs."
Falkland Islands, Darwin visits. -Polyborus sp. in. -brightly coloured female hawk. -effect of subsidence. -streams of stones.
Fanciers, use made of Selection by.
Fantails, see Pigeons.
Faraday, memorial to.
Faramea, dimorphism.
Farmer, Prof. J.B., and S.E. Chandler, on influence of excess of CO2 on anatomy of plants.
Faroe Islands, Polygala vulgaris of.
Farrer, Canon, lecture on defects in Public School Education. -letter to.
Farrer, Lady.
Farrer, Thomas Henry, Lord (1819-99): was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar, but gave up practice for the public service, where he became Permanent Secretary of the Board of Trade. According to the "Times," October 13th, 1899, "for nearly forty years he was synonymous with the Board in the opinion of all who were brought into close relation with it." He was made a baronet in 1883; he retired from his post a few years later, and was raised to the peerage in 1893. His friendship with Mr. Darwin was of many years' standing, and opportunities of meeting were more frequent in the last ten years of Mr. Darwin's life, owing to Lord Farrer's marriage with Miss Wedgwood, a niece of Mrs. Darwin's, and the subsequent marriage of his son Horace with Miss Farrer. His keen love of science is attested by the letters given in the present volume. He published several excellent papers on the fertilisation of flowers in the "Ann. and Mag. of Natural History," and in "Nature," between 1868 and 1874. In Politics he was a Radical--a strong supporter of free trade: on this last subject, as well as on bimetallism, he was frequently engaged in public controversy.