88 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. x. 



From time to time he contributed notes to British 

 Birds, amongst which may be mentioned one on " The 

 Development of a Young Kestrel" (Vol. IV., page 298), 

 and those on the occurrence of the White-winged Black 

 Tern (Vol. III., page 168) and Long-tailed Duck (Vol. 

 VII., page 199) in Warwickshire; but what he especially 

 plumed himself upon was his discovery of the Redshank 

 as a regular breeder at Hampton and Packington. This 

 was the subject of his first contribution (Vol. II., page 33). 

 He was eminently a practical field-ornithologist, with a 

 power of vision and an alertness of mind that enabled 

 him to note at a glance the most striking visible features 

 of any bird he saw ; he had an excellent ear and a good 

 knowledge of bird-notes. Another most useful accom- 

 plishment he had was the faculty of making accurate 

 rough sketches in the field ; in fact, though he had no 

 special training, he was the son of an artist and inherited 

 in no inconsiderable degree the artistic talent and 

 temperament of his father. 



From its inauguration Leigh took a great interest in 

 the British Birds ringing scheme, and expected that 

 in time great results would accrue from it. He himself 

 ringed large numbers of birds in his district and was 

 highly pleased when any of them ^^•ere subsequently 

 taken at places which seemed likely to throw light on 

 migration, and he had several notable successes in this 

 direction. 



Personally, he was one of those clean-souled men 

 whom to know is to love. Fearless, upright, totally 

 devoid of self-consciousness or conceit, he said and wrote 

 nothing but what he believed to be absolutely true, 

 without any regard to effect. Dubious or speculative 

 statements on ornithological matters were ridiculed in 

 no uncertain terms, he being of opinion that such were 

 injurious to his beloved science, and he would have none 

 of them. T. Ground. 



