(ff) 



Something has been said in the preceding pages of 

 my father's scientific work; but a somewhat fuller 

 account of this may now be given. It has already been 

 noted that early in life he was a bee-keeper ; apart from 

 this, most of his earlier observations, as recorded in his 

 note-books or the Zoologist, are upon birds, in which he 

 was always keenly interested. In the course of his long 

 life he was able to record the occurrence in Dorset of 

 many rare species the Hoopoe near Wareham and the 

 Golden Oriole at Bloxworth (both in 1854) ; the Osprey 

 (twice) and all three Buzzards several times ; the Little 

 Owl (Strix fasserina\ which was heard by him in Bere 

 Wood in i8ya, Professor Alfred Newton, who was with 

 him, confirming his opinion ; the Cirl Bunting several 

 times; the Black Redstart (Bloxworth, 190^)5 the 

 Dartford Warbler regularly on Bloxworth Heath, until 

 the winter of 1880-1 temporarily exterminated the 

 species, though a specimen was once again seen in 1 899 

 and another in 1904; the Hooded Crow and the 

 Chough ; the Pied Flycatcher ; Richard's Pipit ; the 

 Crossbill (in 1866, seen also by Professor Newton); 

 the Siskin (two nests); the Quail; the Little Bustard 

 (in 1854); the Thick-Knee (in 1851); the Bittern (two 

 specimens now in my possession ; the booming of the 

 Bittern was heard several times just before the turn of 

 the century by my father and myself); the Squacco 

 Heron (Bere Regis, i8^x) ; the Curlew (nesting on two 

 occasions on Bloxworth Heath) ; and all three of the 



