1 91 3- Richard John Usslic?- 223 
Birds," 1885 and 1890, one was at a loss to know where to 
seek for information. Papers and notes were scattered 
everywhere, and the contents of private collections were 
practically unknown. Ussher, after immense labour and 
correspondence, tabulated and extracted everything he 
considered of value. Possessing leisure, enthusiasm and 
knowledge, and being a persistent and unwearying letter- 
writer, he collected material from all sources with astonish- 
ing assiduity, and we have the result in the well-known 
" Birds of Ireland," a volume which will hold its own with 
any of a similar type for painstaking and original work. 
It is not merely a topographical ornithology, it also contains 
descriptive notes on the habits of birds ; some of this 
information is new, and almost all of it is simply and 
happily expressed. 
If Ussher had any fault, it was being over-patient with 
correspondents, whose feelings he would avoid hurting by 
any show of incredulity. He delighted to encourage poor 
men, by presenting them with books and pamphlets on 
natural history, and for their benefit he wrote long letters 
of explanation. 
Next to the " Birds of Ireland," perhaps the most 
laborious work he undertook was revising More's " List of 
Irish Birds " for the National Museum, and writing Part 
XX. (Aves) for the Clare Island Survey report. A list of 
his more important papers is given hereafter. 
He was fond of archaeology, and it was Prof. Leith Adams 
who chiefly aroused his interest in cave -digging, and Ussher 
published with him, and also in conjunction with Dr. Scharff 
and others, many papers on cave-exploration (mentioned in 
appendix). The brunt of the labour, and a large share of 
the expense were always borne by him. He thoroughly en- 
joyed working underground, and provided himself with a 
complete digging equipment, his clothes being partly covered 
with stout leather, to avoid injury or abrasion. So far back 
as 1879, he contributed a paper to the Zoologist on a cavern 
near Cappagh. He explored with Leith Adams the Shandon 
Cave, and the Hmestone cave on his own property at Bally- 
nahemery, and after Prof. Adams' death, the Keshcorran 
Caves in Sligo, the Eden vale Cave in Clare, and the Castle 
Ppok Cave near Doneraile. 
A 2 
