John Blackwall. 329 



him to lean to him as a great master. His old workmen 

 always spoke of his ability with great reverence, for to 

 them ever he was a continual and fascinating surprise/ &c. 

 We shall look with interest to the volume promised by 

 Mr. Bailey, and hope to see full illustrations of the work 

 of a man whom he so much admires and has so carefully 

 studied. 



Roberts died poor in London in 1864, and was buried 

 in Kensal Green. He exhausted his funds in constant ex- 

 periments, like so many enthusiastic inventors. 



John Blackwall, F.L.S. 



The magnificent volumes written by one of our members, 

 John Blackwall, F.L.S., and issued by the Ray Society, 

 entitle the author to more than a slight mention. The 

 title of the work is ' A History of the Spiders of Great 

 Britain and Ireland.' We have no account of him per- 

 sonally, farther than that he was a medical man in Man- 

 chester, where he became a member of the Society, con- 

 tinuing from January 1821 until the summer of this year, 

 1 88 1, when he died at his house near Llanrwst. He has 

 written for the Society papers already mentioned on the 

 habits of birds, and was fortunate enough to retire many 

 years ago to a pleasant district, where he pursued his work 

 as long as possible, and lived to a good old age. 



y. A. Ransome. 



This volume must not go out without the name of 

 Joseph Atkinson Ransome, the son of a well-known physi- 

 cian in Manchester, and father of a still better known one, 



