VOL. IX.] HENRY EELES DRESSER. 195 



various languages Avere of immense help to him in 

 prosecuting his studies in ornithology, and his visits to 

 most of the larger museums and intercourse with many 

 famous ornithologists were invaluable to him for his great 

 work on the Birds of Europe. This monumental book, 

 with which, his name will be associated for all time, was 

 planned in conjunction with the late Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, 

 and the first numbers were issued in their joint names 

 from 1871 ; but on the appointment of R. B. Sharpe to 

 be an assistant at the British Museum he had to give 

 up the collaboration. Mr. Dresser brought the colossal 

 undertaking to a very successful conclusion by himself 

 in 1881 and completed a supplement in 1896. The work 

 forms nine large quarto volumes, with 722 plates. In 

 producing the work, which was indeed a great under- 

 taking, it should be mentioned that Dresser received 

 much assistance from the late Lord Lilford as well as 

 the late Marquis of Tweeddale and other friends. 



One of the greatest services H. E. Dresser rendered to 

 science was due to his knowledge of Russian and other 

 languages, for it enabled him, by publishing translations, 

 to render accessible to ornithologists several most 

 important papers. 



He published two highly- valued monographs on the 

 Rollers and Bee-Eaters, and also a number of articles on 

 birds and latterly on rare PalaDarctic eggs. His Eggs of 

 the Birds of Europe (1905-1910) is a very real and valuable 

 addition to zoological literature, and its best praise is to 

 say that while it completes and rounds off his Birds of 

 Europe, it outshines it in many details. His Manual of 

 the Birds of the Palcearctic Region is undoubtedly a very 

 useful help to students, but it cannot compare either in 

 quality or usefulness with the larger work. 



He became a member of the British Ornithologists' 

 Union in 1865 and was Secretary thereof from 1882-1888. 

 He was a skilful taxidermist, and in fifty years of ornitho- 

 logical activity made most important collections both of 

 birds and egsrs, which, together with, the bulk of his 



