3778 The Zoologist— November, 1873. 



expressed a wish for, and which, with others in my collection, 

 mounted as well as in skins, are evidences of the care and skill he 

 devoted to this work. 



As an instance, however, of his extreme modesty and reticence 

 in all matters connected with his own accomplishments, 1 may here 

 state that, although he had occasionally spoken of having a few 

 birds " at home," it was not until very recently, when I paid a visit 

 to his father, at Ipswich, that I became aware of the extent and 

 value of his collection,* consisting of some ninety cases, nearly all 

 mounted and arranged by himself. As in all good amateur work 

 of the kind, the time devoted to small details is in this instance 

 amply repaid by the effect produced; the freshness and beauty 

 of plumage in his specimens being the result of hours spent in 

 removing every blemish from their feathers, before either attitude 

 or expression were attempted. This is s])ecially noticeable in his 

 gulls and sea-fowl, from the "Stack" rocks and other parts of the 

 Welsh coast; but, with the exception of the latter, nearly all his 

 birds were procured either in Norfolk or Suffolk, and, though not 

 comprising many rarities,t the entire series fairly represents the 

 orders and genera of our British list, whilst his Raptores — the most 

 difficult class of birds to represent truthfully in a preserved state — 

 are amongst the best evidences of his skill, being perfect models in 

 form and power of expression. Perhaps the chief test, however, of 

 his patience, combined with extreme delicacy of manipulation in 

 the arrangement of small objects, is shown in an exquisite case of 

 humming-birds, containing not less than fifty specimens, which is 

 also in his father's possession at Ipswich. 



The autumn of the year 1864 found Mr. Dix actively engaged as 

 agent on a large estate at Kilwcndeage, near Kenartli, Pembroke- 

 shire, his field of observation being thus suddenly transferred from 

 extreme east to west, whej'e a mountainous district and a bold rocky 

 coast afforded many new features. His earlier letters from this 



* Siuce writing tbe above I have ascertained that, besides his own collection, 

 Mr. Dix formed a still larger one for Mr. John Ismaj', of Newcastle-on-Tyne, of 

 which, I believe, every specimen was mounted by himself. 



+ As British-killed specimens, perhnps the rai'cst in his collection were a pair of 

 European whitewinged crossbills (Loxia bifasciata), the male killed near Thetford, 

 in Norfolk, the female near Carlisle, presented to him by Mr. Doubleday, having 

 been previously figured by Yarrell. These, with a fully adult roughlegged buz- 

 zard, trapped on Thetford Warren, have, at his special request, passed into my 

 possession. 



