8 Alexander Goodman More. [is42 



His early collection of butterflies he had left behind him 

 in Switzerland ; but, in 1849, ne began a fresh one among 

 the British species; while, as a third subject, he took up 

 land-shells, besides paying, as his journal says, " a little 

 attention to reptiles and quadrupeds." A number of books 

 were purchased to help his studies Jenyns' " British Ver- 

 tebrate Animals," Temminck's " Manual of Ornithology," 

 Westwood's Butterflies," Turton's " Land Shells," Water- 

 ton's "Essays" (2nd series), and White's " Selborne," 

 being the principal volumes. The last-mentioned was a 

 peculiar favourite, and he never lost his love for it, adding 

 to his library, from time to time, different editions of the 

 old classic, many passages from which he had at his 

 fingers' ends. He also began at this time to take in the 

 " Zoologist," and his first note to that periodical was con- 

 tributed during the same year. 



A beginner's first published note is seldom of remark- 

 able value, unless as a caution to the writer ; and A. G. 

 More's first note had that value, and no other, being, in fact, 

 a good downright blunder. He shot, early in July, a Golden- 

 crested Wren, whose crest struck him as of an unusually 

 fiery orange colour ; and, mistaking it for the rare Fire- 

 crested species, which is known only as a winter visitor to 

 Britain, recorded it as such in the " Zoologist" for August. 

 Jt was not until fully four years afterwards that he satis- 

 fied himself by consultation of higher authorities that his 

 bird was, after all, the common Regulus cristatus. It was 

 not likely that his note, if left uncorrected, would ever have 

 deceived a competent ornithologist. So common, almost 

 everyday, a mistake as that of Gold-crest for Fire-crest, 

 would have been taken for granted, when the very unlikely 

 time ofyear was considered. But no casuistry weighed 

 with him against his first duty to Science, and in the 

 "Zoologist" for September, 1853, occurs the following 

 note, headed, " Correction of a previous error respecting 

 the Fire-crested Regulus." 



BEMBRIDGE, ISLE OF WIGHT, 



August 6th, 1853. 



I am anxious at once to correct a mistake into which I had fallen 

 when 1 recorded the Fire-crest as having been shot in the Isle of Wight 



