Memoir of Dr. T. C. Jerdon, by Sir Walter Elliot. 151 



I well remember the difficulties with which the young 

 zoologist formerly had to contend, from want of books and 

 type specimens for reference and comparison. Now it is the 

 object of every sportsman, even, to get a copy of " Jerdon's 

 Birds " and " Jerdon's Mammals," and their influence is seen 

 in the intelligent and intelligible notices appearing in the 

 Field and other periodicals. Works of greater pretension 

 and more accurate detail have been given to the public, but 

 in a form and at a cost beyond the reach of ordinary students. 

 To no one is Indian science so deeply indebted as to Dr. 

 Jerdon, not for his discoveries, considerable as they were, 

 but for enabling others to follow his steps. It is earnestly 

 to be hoped that the two remaining Manuals may yet 

 appear, and that improved editions may be given of those 

 already published. 



Like many other men of genius, he was deficient in habits 

 of order and method, and was especially careless in his 

 private affairs. His whole thoughts were concentrated on 

 his favourite pursuits, to the neglect of the commonplace but 

 necessary requirements of domestic and pecuniary claims*. 

 The consequence was that, although always in receipt of 

 good allowances, he was continually harassed by the demands 

 of creditors, and at his death his estate was found to be 

 insolvent. 



[Since the foregoing was written, his valuable collection of 

 drawings has been brought to the hammer from time to 

 time and dispersed. On the 14th January, 1873, twelve 

 cases containing " many thousand coloured illustrations of 

 birds," were sold by Sotheby, Wilkinson, and Hodge, and 

 purchased by Lord Lilford. On the 24th Ma}^ following, a 

 few skins of birds and mammals were sold by J. C. Stevens, 

 38, King Street ; and still later, on the 21st March, 1874, the 

 Indian and Asiatic drawings, comprising eleven lots of 

 mammals, birds, fish, Crustacea, molluscs, insects, arachnida, 

 fossil-vertebrata, phenogamous and cryptogamous plants, 

 were disposed of to various parties, some of them, as the 

 fish which were knocked down at £136, fetching large prices.] 



* Many characteristic anecdotes, illustrative of his improvidence, are 

 current among his friends, such as his cleverly talking over an English bailiff 

 6ent from Madras to Tellicherry to arrest him, and sending him back 

 re infecta, but the bearer of a fine live specimen of a rare monkey (Preibytis 

 JohniiJ ! On another occasion when bummoned professionally by a French 

 lady at Mahe, he met the French governor, also a keen naturalist, at the 

 entrance to the town, who carried him off to see some novelties, which so 

 absorbed him that he returned home late at night, never having seen his 

 patient and wholly oblivious of the purpose for which he bad come ! 



