XXXIV PEOCEEDO GS OF THE 



Fellow as recently as April 5, I860, and did not reside in England 

 afterwards, except for the brief period above mentioned. 



The Bev. Charles Smith Bird, M.A., Chancellor of the Diocese 

 of Luicoln, and late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, died on 

 the 9th of November 1862, at the age of 67. He had long been a 

 Fellow of this Society, having been elected on the 4th of March 

 1828. I am not aware that IVIr. Bird had ever contributed any- 

 thing himself to science. 



William John Burchell, D.C.L., was born at Fulham, probably 

 in the year 1781, the sou of Mr. Matthew Burchell, who was a 

 nurseryman at that place. 



On entering life, he was employed in one of the Government 

 offices ; but when about 30, or in the year 1810, he quitted 

 England for St. Helena, whence he proceeded to the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and commenced the exploration of South Africa. His 

 travels in that part of the globe were extensive, as he states in his 

 Journal that he had gone over 4500 miles, and had collected above 

 63,000 objects in various branches of natural history, including 

 120 skins of quadrupeds, belonging to about 80 species, together 

 with 265 different kinds of birds, besides insects, reptiles, &c., 

 and a large collection of dried plants. During the journey, 

 which occupied four years, he also prepared above 500 drawings 

 of various subjects. 



The account of these travels was drawn up shortly after his 

 return to England (in 1816 or 1817), and published in 1822-24, in 

 two quarto volumes, under the title of ' Travels in the Interior of 

 Southern Africa.' In the original plan of the work Mr. Burchell 

 had comprised a third volume, which was to include the extra- 

 colonial (and consequently the most interesting) part of his travels. 

 But this volume never appeared. Previously, however, he had 

 published a short work entitled 'Hints on Emigration to the 

 Cape of Good Hope' *. 



In 1825 Mr. Burchell proceeded to Brazil, making extensive 

 exciirsions into the interior, and forming a very large collection of 

 plants and insects ; but unfortunately the specimens then collected, 

 as well as the bulk of his African collections, have never been un- 

 packed. A short account of this Brazilian journey, embodying 

 the substance of two letters addressed to Sir William Hooker, was 

 published in the 2nd volume of the ' Botanical Miscellany.' In 

 one of these letters, written after his return to Fulham (in Octo- 



* Shortly before his death, he prociu-ed and presented to oui' library a hand- 

 somely bound copy of his ' Travels.' 



