Vol. xxv.] 44 



Mr. de Vitre" at Formosa, near Cookham. Under the tuition 

 of this able naturalist and taxidermist he made various ex- 

 cursions to different parts of the coast and formed a mounted 

 collection of British birds, which was eventually presented to 

 the British Museum. His father did not regard his son's 

 love for ornithology with favour, and on completing his educa- 

 tion at Peterborough (King's Scholar) and Loughborough 

 Grammar Schools he was packed off to London with a 

 sovereign in his pocket and a letter of introduction to 

 Messrs. W. H. Smith & Son. He has often shown the 

 writer the place in Brompton Road, opposite the Oratory, 

 where the heel of one of his boots (his only pair) came off 

 as he walked to London ! He entered the publishing-house 

 of the above-named firm in 1863, and subsequently worked 

 for a year with the late Mr. Bernard Quaritch. In 1867, 

 on the recommendation of Dr. Sclater, he was appointed 

 Library-Clerk and subsequently Librarian to the Zoological 

 Society of London and retained that post till 1872. With 

 a fine library thus placed at his command he now found 

 ample opportunity of cultivating his taste for the study of 

 birds and, during his term of office, was able to publish a 

 Catalogue of his private Collection of Afiican Birds and 

 his splendid ' Monograph of the Kingfishers/ a work of such 

 excellence that it at once established his reputation as an 

 ornithologist of exceptional ability. He also at this time 

 conceived and, in partnership with Mr. H. E. Dresser, 

 commenced to publish a great serial work on the 'Birds of 

 Europe' ; but after 15 parts had been issued he was obliged, 

 owing to other important engagements, to relinquish his 

 share of the work, and the remaining parts were completed 

 by Mr. Dresser alone. 



On the death of George Robert Gray, Dr. Sharpe entered 

 the service of the Trustees of the British Museum and was 

 appointed Senior Assistant in the Department of Zoology on 

 the 11th of September, 1872. With his appointment began 

 a new era in the administration of the Bird-collection and 

 the f Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum,' the 

 great work of his life, was commenced. No one of the 



