Recently published Ornithological Works. 1 99 



47. Newton's Memoir of the late John Scales. 



[Memoir of the late John Scales. By Alfred Newton, M.A., F.R.S. 

 Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc. vol. iv. p. 81.] 



Ornithologists, especially those of Norfolk, are much 

 indebted to Professor Newton for this interesting memoir of 

 a naturalist who was of an East-Anglian family, although 

 actually born in Yorkshire. The eai'ly life of John Scales 

 was decidedly eventful ; for, strange as it may appear, a man 

 with whom some of our readers were well acquainted was 

 captured as a lad by a French cruiser on a voyage from 

 Hull to London, and detained in France until ransomed by 

 his father! In 1812 his assistance was required in the 

 management of the large farm and warren of Beachamwell ; 

 and thenceforth his name became associated with Nor- 

 folk, especially, as readers of Stevenson's ' Birds of Norfolk ' 

 will remember, as regards the Great Bustard. He made 

 several excursions to the continent, however, on one of 

 which he obtained the richly marked Great Auk's egg which 

 was the gem of his oological collection ; he also visited 

 Switzerland, and Valkenswaard, the head-quarters of 

 falconry, in Dutch Brabant. Unfortunately his collec- 

 tions, papers, and correspondence were destroyed by a fire 

 more than twenty years ago ; and as Scales seldom com- 

 municated the results of his researches to any of the maga- 

 zines of natural history, there is every reason to be thankful 

 to Professor Newton for the fragmentary remains which have 

 been preserved. The longest and most interesting letters 

 are those addressed to the writer of the Memoir, princi- 

 pally about the Great Bustard ; but there are many notes 

 on other species. For instance, writing in May 1856, Scales 

 says that he never knew of the Woodlark breeding in Nor- 

 folk, nor did he ever see one in his part of the county, and 

 he was inclined to think that it was a new comer ; in which 

 he agreed with Professor Newton, whose subsequent ex- 

 perience has been that, although local, the species is not 

 uncommon, aiid breeds annually in some parts of the above 

 county and of Suffolk. Scales left Norfolk in 1812, and in 



