504 Obituary. 



had been mercilessly harried and the beautiful and harmless 

 Chough practically exterminated — at least in one locality. 

 Colonel Irby's wrath against such men was a thing not to be 

 forgotten; and he always declaimed against the baneful habit 

 of private collectors aiming at securing " British specimens" 

 of birds or eggs. 



Another characteristic trait of Colonel Irby was his 

 strongly expressed contempt for that class of naturalists, 

 unfortunately not infrequently met with nowadays, who 

 appropriate the information obtained from others, usually 

 of wider experience and knowledge, and embody the same 

 in their writings and books without any acknowledgment. 



It was this deep-seated feeling which in later years often 

 made him loth to -write on matters of unquestionable 

 interest, especially to ornithologists, for he argued that to do 

 so would be but to supply further material for unscrupulous 

 book-makers ! 



It was whilst he was smarting under treatment of this 

 sort, that Lord Lilford and the present writer were, happily, 

 successful in inducing Colonel lrby to bring out an enlarged 

 Second Edition of his admirable 'Ornithology of the Straits 

 of Gibraltar/ Lord Lilford supplied the fine coloured plates 

 which make so attractive a part of the book, while the present 

 writer gave his own notes on Southern Spain, covering the 

 period 1874-189T, as well as sundry illustrations, which 

 were duly incorporated and acknowledged in the most 

 generous manner. This work will probably remain the 

 standard authority on the Birds of S.W. Audalucia for an 

 indefinite time. 



It has sometimes been said that Colonel Irby failed to 

 record certaiu species which have since been proved to occur 

 in the districts described. This is to some extent true, but 

 is the best testimony to the accuracy and thoroughness of his 

 work; for he would never admit species into his lists unless 

 fully convinced personally as to their absolute authenticity. 

 In sundry "Lists of Birds observed " published in recent 

 years it would have been well if Colonel Irby's views on this 

 point had been adopted. lie never ceased to make scathing 



