1922.] Obituary. 351 



^' Wliile at the Staff College Verner always seemed to find 

 time for birds^ as a fellow-student remarked: 'While we 

 spend all our time out of lecture hours working like mad, 

 Verner goes off climbing trees after birds' nests/ 



" In fact he was a nuMi of such natural talent and quickness 

 that to him examinations were no terror, and in spite of 

 time spent climbing tiees after nests he passed out nearly, if 

 not quite, at the top of the list, 



" Very clever with his pencil and a talented sr.rveyor, he 

 served during the early days of the South African War as 

 official topographer, but at the battle of Graspan while 

 galloping over the veld his horse tell and crushed him so 

 badly that he had to be sent home, his injuries eventually 

 resuitiiig in his having to retire from the army. 



'■ After his soldiering, Colonel Verner returned to his first 

 love, Spain, building himself a house at Algeciras where he 

 spent each winter within easy reach of La Tanda and the 

 happy hunting grounds of his youth; here he wrote most of 

 his book : ' My Life among the Wild Birds of Spain, ^ a most 

 interesting record of the life of a gallant gentleman, good 

 sportsman, and enthusiastic ornithologist/' 



John Patricius Chaworth-Musters. 



Mr. Chaworth-Musters died on the 12th of December, 

 1921, at Anuesley, the ancient family seat near Nottingham. 

 He was a member of the Union frotn 1900 to 1917. 



Born in 1860, Mr. Chaworth-Musters was the great-grand- 

 son of Mai'y Anne Chaworth, Byron's early love aiul near 

 neighbour. He was educated at Eton and Christchurch, and 

 succeeded to the family estates in 1887 on the death of his 

 father. He was a c(mntry gentleman, interested in farming 

 and sport, and an enthusiastic ornithologist. He formed one 

 of the largest private collections of birds' eggs in the country. 

 He was the father of seven sons and foui- daughters. Six 

 of his sons served in the war, and three were killed or died 

 of wounds. 



