4(U Obitnury. 



Edgar Lkopold TiAVAiu), C.M.O., ulio died at Budleigh 

 Salterton, Devon, on January 1st, was elected an Honorary 

 Member of the B.O.U. in 18G0, and was therefore one of 

 our oldest as well as one of our most valued eorrcspondeuts. 

 He was born at Florence on July 23rd, 1821', and entei'ed 

 the Civil Service of Ceylon when twenty-two years of age ; 

 but after nine years his health gave way, and in 1855 he 

 accepted the invitation of the late Sir George Grey to a 

 post in the Civil Service at Cape Town. There he foinided 

 tlie South-African Museum, and became its first curator; 

 after which he accompanied Sir G. Grey on a special 

 mission to New Zealand, and subsequently became judge 

 and commissioner under the Slave Trade Treaties at the 

 Cape. Transferred to the Consular Service, he was for 

 some years at Para, at the mouth of the Amazons ; next he 

 was sent to Fiji, where he arranged the ces-^ion, and Avas 

 decorated in 1875 ; he then resumed Consular Service at 

 Noumea, New Caledonia, and ultimately retired after 

 forty-seven years of hard work. Layard was not a pro- 

 ducer of many books, and his chief work in this line was 

 'The Birds of South Africa,' published in 1867, of which 

 a new and revised edition, with the collaboration of Dr. 

 Bowdler Sliarpe, made its appearance between 1875-84. It 

 is rather by his many and varied contributions from 1854 

 almost to the time of his much regretted death that he 

 will be remembered ; and a column of closely-printed type 

 in the General Subject-Index to 'The Ibis' testifies to his 

 energy in our special subject. Besides tliese, his bright and 

 pleasant letters to 'The Field,' under his own name or the 

 pseudonym of 'Bos CaflFer,' will be familiar to most of our 

 readers ; and his genial personality will be greatly missed 

 and regretted by all who have had the pleasure of his 

 acquaintance. 



