228 Ohih 



ry. 



literature are of an endiirintr character, bearing the stamp of 

 much con«cientious Labour, wide research, critical acumen, 

 and extreme accuracy, all of which qualifications combine to 

 render his publications of permanent value. Indeed, it was 

 owing to his continual striving towards an ideal state of per- 

 fection in the presentation of facts and the explanation of 

 their bearing which led him to delay the publication of 

 important memoirs which might well have been printed years 

 ago. The monograph on the Great Auk, still unpublished, 

 furnishes a case in point. For a man of his acquirements he 

 had a singular diffidence in his own powers, and constantly 

 preferred to rely upon the opinions of others whom he could 

 trust rather than to express or emphasize his own. This is 

 observable in his deference to the views of the late Professor 

 W. K. Parker in the articles on Birds in the ' Encyclo[)?edia 

 Britannica' (9th ed.), which paved the way for the subse- 

 quently published ' Dictionary of Birds,' and to the opinions 

 of his friends, Professor Gadow, Professor Roy, Dr. Shufeldt, 

 and Mr. Lydelcker, collected in the last-mentioned work. 



The practical interest which he evinced in the steps taken 

 to secure legislation for the protection of birds ought not to 

 pass unnoticed, since it was in a great measure owing to his 

 support and advice that the establishment of a close time for 

 sea-birds and wildfowl was effected. He brought the subject 

 of bird protection before the British Association in 1868, and 

 for several years acted as Chairman of the Close-Time Com- 

 mittee which was then appointed to deal with the matter in 

 all its bearings. During that period he contributed several 

 letters on the subject to the Natural History columns of the 

 ' Field,' which were marked by that critical foresight and 

 practical connnon sense which always characterised the 

 expression of his published opinions. 



On the subject of the migration of birds, also, he took an 

 unflagging interest, and for many years acted as Chairman of 

 the British Association Committee appointed for the purpose 

 of collecting statistics on the subject. To his support and 

 advice, with the co-operation of other active ornithologists, 

 we are mainly indebted for the inception of the scheme for 



