i860] The Ideal Ornithologist. 125 



(the " Ibis " review) in which he dwelt lovingly on the 

 fascinations of Bird-study, its close connexion with the 

 " sporting instincts of an Englishman," and the adven- 

 turous zeal of its votaries, braving indifferently " the sun 

 of Africa, or snows of Lapland, or pestilent tropic marsh." 

 One sentence in this review describes his ideal ornitho- 

 logist : 



He should be a kind of scientific gipsy a brown-faced, hardy, out- 

 o' -doors man ; a quick shot ; a dauntless climber ; an earnest student ; 

 a practical bird-stuifer, with a dash of the author ; and if to this is added 

 a warm feeling for the beauties of Nature in all her forms, we envy the 

 man who is such, and commend him especially to the worshippers of 

 " Ibis " as a worthy fellow-craftsman. 



Both these reviews appeared in the " Annals of Natural 

 History."* Besides his work for this magazine, he began a 

 review of the book ot the season, Darwin's " Origin of 

 Species "; and some correspondence on Darwinism and 

 the current criticisms of it, passed between him and Mr. 

 Watson ; but this article was never finished ; indeed the 

 subject, though fascinating, did not suit him ; nor after the 

 first six months of 1860 does he seem ever to have contem- 

 plated taking part in the great Darwinian controversy. 



In fact by the beginning of May he had thoroughly 

 overworked himself, and " fell into the doctor's hands " 

 just as the " Guide to the Isle of Wight " reached those of 

 the printer. Towards the end of the month he was well 

 enough to pay a few days' visit to London, chiefly for the 

 sake of meeting Mr. Newton, and of being introduced to a 

 gathering of " Ibisites " held on the 2Qth. But immediately 

 after this his health again gave way. He had to cease from 

 work, and, sorely against his will, to give up all hope of 

 going to Oxford for the meeting of the British Association 

 on the 27th of June. Mr. Newton, Mr. Babington, Mr. 

 Newbould, and many of his friends, were to be there : 

 moreover, the B.O.U. were to hold their annual meeting, 

 the agenda of which included the election of a new mem- 

 ber to fill the gap which Wolley's death had too early left 



* Some of his reviews are signed "A.," others " G." Another " A." besides 

 himself contributed articles to the " Phytologist " this year ; and a review of the 

 "Ibis" (vol. i.) which appeared in the "Zoologist," not written by him, was 

 also signed "A." 



