Ohituary, 113 



Thomas Ayres, Hon. Member B.O.U. 



Thomas Ayres, the well-known S. African naturalist and 

 ornithologist, died at Potchefstrooni, where with little inter- 

 mission the last 48 years of his life had been spent, on the 

 31st of July last, at the ripe age of 85 years. 



The greater part of the following information we have 

 gathered from an interesting article by " Verlam " in the 

 ' Illustrated Star : Town and Country Journal ' for 

 Aug. 23rd, 1913. 



The parents of Thomas Ayres with their family of six 

 came to Natal, from Hereford, in 1850 with the first real 

 influx of English settlers. 



The terms offered were poor enough, and it is to the credit 

 of the early settlers that they rose superior to all difficulties 

 and successfully planted themselves in Natal. 



The settlement could not have been very thriving, and in 

 1852 Ayres and some fellow settlers left for the Australian 

 gold fields. 



After a few years Ayres returned, without having made 

 a fortune, married, and endeavoured to settle down to a 

 planter's life near Pinetown. In this neighbourhood there 

 was still sufficient wild life to afford interest and adventure 

 to a man of his tastes. 



Much of the big game had disappeared, but Hippopotamus 

 and Leopards were stiil to be seen. Thirty of the former 

 were seen on one occasion in the Sea Cow Lake, and on 

 another Ayres beheld the rare sight of Hippos at sea passing 

 from one river-mouth to another off the Pondoland Coast ; 

 a habit which has earned for the hippopotamus the name of 

 " Sea Cow." Ayres was keener as a naturalist than a planter, 

 and admitted that ho was always ready to stop work to look 

 at a bird. 



He soon became a regular collector, first of birds, and 

 afterwards of insects, etc. By degrees he went farther and 

 farther afield, and by 18G2 had reached the Transvaal 

 borders. 



Most ol: his specimens were sent to J. H. Gurney, of 



