Obituary—Miss It. Alder son



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their smaller feathers, did not moult the primaries this autumn. I am

sorry that I have no note whether they moulted these feathers last

year, but I have little doubt that they did so.



OBITUARY

Miss R. Alderson


Only those who have been members of the Avicultural Society

from its early days or who are intimately acquainted with its inner

history, can appreciate fully the magnitude of the blow which has

fallen so suddenly upon it by the removal from its midst of Miss R.

Alderson. Her connexion with the Society dates from April, 1896,

though it is the name of her elder sister, Miss E. M. Alderson (now

Lady Maud Robinson) which appears in the lists of members in Yols. Ill

and IV. A glance through the back volumes of our Magazine will

show the variety of the subjects upon which she wrote, and the many

different classes of birds which she kept in her aviaries or tamed round

her home ; but our Society probably owes most of all to her wise and

thoughtful suggestions made during the many years she served so

faithfully as one of its officers. She was a member of the Council for

three terms of office—from 1900 to 1905, from 1907 to 1902, and from

1913 to 1916. During the last dark years of the War, in spite of many

pressing calls, she most kindly undertook the duties of Hon. Business

Secretary ; this post she held until compelled to relinquish it owing

to ill-health, as announced in the Magazine for last November.


Although it entailed a long journey, often at most inconvenient

times, Miss Alderson never missed attendance at a Council meeting,

unless unavoidably prevented : and as the writer can testify from

having been present on many occasions, she always seemed to suggest

just what was needed for the advancement of the Society, whose welfare

she had so much at heart. She seemed to share with Royalty the

faculty of being able to say and do the proper thing just at the right

time, indeed it is very largely due to her ability as Hon. Business

Secretary during the War that our Society has emerged in such

a flourishing state to-day.



