60 REMINISCENCES OF 



nected, had been in existence many years, under 

 the care of an uneducated |man named Harrop 

 a man wholly ignorant of every branch of 

 science except taxidermy, and he was probably 

 the most accomplished bird-stuflfer in Europe. 

 Singularly enough, when my father was curator 

 of the Scarborough Museum, its council, knowing 

 that the formation of a collection of British birds 

 would be an important part of his duties, sent 

 him to Manchester to learn the art of bird-stuffing 

 from this very man. Harrop proved an admirable 

 teacher, and I in turn benefited^by learning the same 

 art from his pupil. 



Harrop naturally resented so young a man being 

 placed over his head in the Society where he had 

 reigned supreme. The greater and unscientific part 

 of the council were in friendly sympathy with their 

 old servant, but a few men of different stamp had 

 recently been placed upon that council. These deter- 

 mined that what was then only a collection of orna- 

 mentally grouped birds should be made into a 

 scientific museum, not only in the bird, but in all 

 other departments. 



The leader of this reforming party was the Dr. 

 Phillips whose persevering energy had achieved my 

 election to the curatorship. He was supported by 

 Edward Tootal, a leading merchant in Manchester, 

 not a scientific man, but a reformer of shams and 

 abuses in every department of life. Further support 

 .of the same kind was given by Dr. James Bardsley, 



