191 /.] Obituary. 245 



mixed French and English parentage. He was educated 

 at Rugby and subsequently on the Continent. In 1870 he 

 embarked for the Cape with £400 in his pocket to earn his 

 living as a professional elephant hunter, and from that date 

 until 1890 he wandered about the then unknown territories 

 between the Transvaal and the Zambesi, shooting elephants, 

 and also procuring many of the splendid examples of the 

 big-game animals of South Africa for the South African 

 Museum at Cape Town and for the Natural History 

 Museum in London. In 1890 he entered the service of 

 the Chartered Company and led the pioneers on their 

 expedition from Tuli to Fort Salisbury, which inaugurated 

 the settlement of what is now Southern Rhodesia. 



Shortly after this he settled in England, at Worplesdon in 

 Surrey, where he built a Museum for his numerous trophies ; 

 but his activities as a hunter had by no means ended, as 

 he subsequently made many hunting trips to Asia Minor, 

 North America, and to British East Africa and the Upper 

 Nile. 



His books on hunting and travel are well known to every 

 one and are classics. 'A Hunter's Wanderings in Africa/ 

 in 1881, was succeeded by ' Travel and Adventure in South 

 East Africa,' 1893, and 'Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia,^ 

 1896. Accounts of his later experiences will be found in 

 ' Sport and Travel East and West ' and ' African Nature 

 Notes and Reminiscences.^ 



Selous was not only a hunter, he was a keen observer, and 

 his indefatigable patience and retentive memory combined 

 to make him a field-naturalist of exceptional excellence. 

 He was as much interested in birds and their eggs as in 

 big game, and had a fine collection of eggs at Worplesdon, 

 nearly all obtained by himself on his numerous expeditions. 

 He became a Member of the Union in 1899, and was a 

 regular attendant at the meetings of the Club and frequently 

 took part in the discussions, and occasionally himself 

 exhibited some of his nests and eggs. 



To his friends Selous will always remain an inspiring 

 memory. His simplicity and candour, his entire absence of 



