12(i joifx ^voo]) 



staiitly occui'ring as llie cuiiti'ibutor of some /alued 

 speciiiien or observation that one realises how great a 

 contribution he made to our knowledge. Geology, 

 Palaeontology, Botany, Zoology, Anthropology and 

 perhaps aboye all Ornithology are all indebted to him. 

 Yet he was no mere collector. Collecting and classifying 

 indeed, were to him a necessary but uncongenial preli- 

 minary to true study. We fancy he belonged to an 

 obsolescent order of naturalists who were nature worship- 

 pers as well as nature loyers — men who were attracted 

 to the study of science by an intuitive appreciation of 

 the glory and the wonder of the Universe. He was too 

 big to disjuirage work in any department of knowledge 

 but the S(/a]'ing of an eagle was to him something more 

 than a problem in aerodynamics and the pollination of 

 an orchid something grander than a phase of evolution. 

 Like most who lived close to nature he had his own 

 philosophy of life of which he spoke but little. To the 

 end lie pleaded that our young people might be taught 

 to see and understand the greatness and beauty jf all 

 nature — tliat the poet and the man of science might unite 

 to lend them to that mood which arises out of the con- 

 teni})lation of infinite variety in infinite space — or to use 

 his own last words on the subject, '' let them see as much 

 as possible of God's side of the world." 



Although as wr^ liave stated he had written little, he 

 had arcuiunlated a vasi store of first-hand information 

 and recorded his observations in notes which he noped 

 to ari-ange and publisii when he retired from business in 

 thnt calm of evening ^^hich was denied him. These notes 

 we undei'stand he left to the East London Public 

 Li]>rary and it is greatly to be hoped that they may one 

 day be given to the public no less for tlieir scientific value 

 liian as a fitting memorial to a great naturalist and a 

 most lovnblp fcllowman. 



G. R. 



