160 Paul Lev erkühn : The Ornithological 



Francfort -on -the -Main. We meet the Greek explorers, 

 Count von der Mühle and Michahelles, known to every 

 student of Lord Lilford's papers on Mediterranean 

 ornithology ; then the Dresden naturalist Reichenbach, 

 author of the "most complete natural history of the world"; 

 the good old Schinz at Zurich, who may well be called the 

 father of Swiss ornithology ; Sturm, the translator and editor 

 of Gould's " Rrhamphastidge," and his brother, who finished 

 Naumann 5 s life-work ; Dietrich aus dem Winckell, one of the 

 highest authorities on hunting and sport ; F. A. L. Thiene- 

 mann, the founder of scientific oology ; and others. As 

 time will not suffice to give even a superficial idea of the 

 contents of the correspondence I must be satisfied with 

 giving you a single specimen, which I borrow from the very 

 charming interchange of thought between Naumann and 

 Temminck at Leyden. Both of them show a zeal and an 

 enthusiasm which make us, their poor followers, tremble 

 with admiration. 



Temminck had proposed to Naumann to add a series of 

 illustrations to the second edition of his famous " Manuel 

 d'Ornithologie." Naumann could not accept this offer, 

 founding his refusal upon the following statement, which 

 gives us a touching picture of his private life. 



Naumann wrote the 25th July, 1816 : — 



" I am the owner of a small country seat, which gives food 

 to me and to my family but does not allow of any luxury. I 

 do everything in my estate myself, and very often with my 

 own hands, my income not permitting me to engage other 

 help. In this way I look after my little garden myself ; here 

 I cultivate about 700 kinds of foreign plants. Besides this I 

 am a mechanic, and I make all my instruments and outfit for 

 the garden and the estate — even my guns, and other imple- 

 ments of wood, bone, and metal. I am always occupied : 

 to-day as a carpenter, to-morrow as a locksmith, or a gun- 

 maker, or a turner — for I make my pipes myself — or a 

 gardener, or a supervisor in the cornfields. My recreations 

 are my laboratory and my aviary, as well as shooting and 

 observing birds. But plants and insects interest me likewise. 

 Society has no charm for me, and I frequent it only that I 

 may not become quite a savage. In the autumn, when the 



