136 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK oh. 



archaeological collections, and expressed keen 

 interest in them. 



In notes of this year relative to an expedition 

 that he made to the place from which he ulti- 

 mately took the title of Avebury, he still writes 

 the name as " Abury." Under date March 29 

 he has the entry, " Morning service at Marl- 

 borough. Thence to Abury and on to Devizes. 

 I have bought a meadow at Abury. The Roman 

 road goes quite straight to the centre of Silbury 

 Hill, which was obviously the point steered for." 

 The entry of the following day is worth quoting 

 too, if only for the sake of the name of the Inn, 

 indicating the presence of the bustard recently 

 on those downs and also the abundance there of 

 the Thick-knee or Norfolk plover : " Devizes to 

 Salisbury in two carriages again, as before. At 

 the Bustard found the headquarters of the 

 hawking club. Grant Duff and I went for an 

 hour with Lascelles and Bass to see the hawks 

 flown. They were after the Thick-kneed Curlew. 

 We found some very soon, and it was most 

 curious to see the hawks come back to the lure." 



The two following letters refer to the Vice- 

 Chancellorship of London University, which had 

 fallen vacant, and which he was being pressed by 

 Lord Granville to accept : 



May 1872. 



My dear Lord Granville — I feel that there are so 

 many Members of the Senate much better qualified to 

 judge than I am as to the best successor to Sir E. Ryan 

 in the Vice-Chancellorship, that I should not venture to 

 make a suggestion except at your instance, but as you 

 wish me to do so, I beg to say that as far as I can judge, 

 either Dr. Stonar or Mr. Spottiswoode would fill the 

 office with advantage to the University. 



