Cum m in gs, A biographical sketch of Col. George Montagu. -iiy 



at that time been obtained concerning the structure, Hfe history 

 and habits of our British birds. He strictly attended to the 

 changes in plumage, incidental to age, sex and season and in 

 this way he was able to prove the invalidity of many so called 

 species and on the other hand to confirm the separation of other 

 closely allied birds under different specific names. His work 

 with the birds was not confined to systematic research. The 

 Colonel scoured the woods and fields and made some very careful 

 observations on the habits of all those species which he happened 

 to meet. He also kept a number of birds alive in captivity in 

 order to study the sequence of their plumages. The Montagu 

 Collection of British Birds in the British Museum has caused 

 considerable anxiety as none of the specimens were properly pre- 

 pared, many being attacked by mites and falling to pieces. 



Quite apart from the ornithological interest of the Dictionary 

 the reader who takes the trouble will find in it many amusing 

 passages. Montagu perhaps is seen at his worst when he is at- 

 tempting to describe such difficult subjects as the song of the 

 nightingale. He writes "The v^ariety of this bird's notes certainly 

 exceeds all others. Of a still summer night when all is hushed 

 in silence the vocal powers of the nightingale is (sic) most dis- 

 tinctly heard." However, Isaac Walton who knew how to write 

 of the nightingale's song belter than Montagu was but a sorry 

 naturalist. 



It in curious to note that, like kings and reviewers, Montagu 

 always speaks in the plural number, as was noticed by a reviewer 

 at the time of its publication. 



The following is a short summary of some of the more im- 

 portant facts which Montagu brought to light. He proved that 

 the "Crested Cormorant" is only the full plumage of the Common 

 Cormorant (Phalacracorax carbo). He first made known to the 

 scientific world the beautiful Roseate Tern, which he called Sterna 

 dougalli in honour of Dr. M. Dougall who first sent him specimens 

 from the Cumbraes in the Firth of Clyde. One of these is still pre- 

 served in the British Museum. Selby subsequently found it bree- 

 ding on the Farne Islands. He carefully separated the Gull-billed 

 Tern (Gelociielidon anglica) from the vSandwich Tern {Sterna 

 cantiaca) and showed that the "Greenwich Sandpiper" was only 

 one of the many variétés of the Ruff (MacJietes pitgnax), also 

 that the "Ashcoloured Sandpiper" is the same bird as the Knot 



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