8 Inauffnral Address. 



editorship a second edition of the work, thoroughly revised 

 and augmented, was issued in 1875-1894. 



Mr. Layard held several posts in the Cape Civil Service 

 until 1872, when he was transferred to the Consular Service, 

 and was appointed to Para, in Brazil, and his connection 

 with the Museum was severed. He was afterwards in the 

 Fijis and New Caledonia, and ultimately retired, after 

 47 years of hard work. He spent the last part of his life 

 at Budleigh Salterton, in Devonshire^ where he died on 

 January 1, 1900. 



Mr. Layard, though he did not travel or collect much 

 himself, had a wonderful talent for interesting others in his 

 favourite subject, and in this way got together very complete 

 collections of birds and their eggs for the South African 

 Museum, and acqvtired that very extensive knowledge of the 

 habits of our native birds which is exhibited to such an 

 extent in his writings. 



These five names by no means comprise the roll of South 

 African ornithologists ; but I fear I have already trespassed 

 too long on your patience. Victorin and Wahlberg, the 

 Swedes who collected chiefly for Sundevall, the great 

 Swedish ornithologist ; Delalande, Verreaux, and Dela- 

 gorgue, the French collectors ; Peters, afterwards the head 

 of the Berlin Museum, who travelled in Mozambique, must 

 all be passed over. So, too, the Atmores, the Jacksons, 

 Mrs. Barber, and many others who assisted Mr. Layard. 

 One of the most renowned and well-known of African 

 ornithologists, whose labours commenced as far back as 

 1859, I am happy to say is still with us. 1 need hardly 

 say I refer to Mr. Thomas Ayres, of Potchefstroom, who 

 has contributed to the pages of ' The Ibis,' in collaboration 

 with Mr. Gurney, 11 papers on the birds of Natal and 15 on 

 those of the Transvaal. 



In conclusion, I may say that it is my earnest wish that 

 our Union should take up the work of these old pioneei'S, 

 and continue to add fresh observations and discoveries to the 

 study in which we are all of us deeply interested. 



