THE LATE MR. E. T. BOOTH, OF BRIGHTON. 95 



by means of his admirably displayed collection of British birds, 

 contained in upwards of three hundred glass cases, and of the 

 printed catalogue, in which the birds in each case are described, 

 and some account given of their habits, but the poor and 

 the sick who could not personally attend, were also indirectly 

 benefited. For with a liberality which was characteristic of the 

 man, Mr. Booth decided that, while in order to prevent the 

 inconvenience which would arise if he were to announce " free 

 admission" to the museum, it would be necessary to make 

 a small charge (which was fixed at one shilling), he would devote 

 the proceeds (after paying the wages of the attendant in charge) 

 to charitable purposes in the county in which he resided. In 

 consequence of this generosity, the Sussex County Hospital, the 

 Brighton Hospital for Women and Children, the Brighton and 

 Hove Dispensary, the Brighton Volunteer Fire Brigade, and 

 other institutions near home, to say nothing of charities at a 

 distance (as in the case of the Welsh Miners' Subscription Fund), 

 were considerably and often unexpectedly benefited. 



No one knew better than Mr. Booth, who was so much 

 amongst them, the hardship and privation with which sea- 

 fishermen have often to contend; and we feel quite sure that 

 many an "old hand" who, on the occasion of loss of boat or 

 nets through accident, or loss of income through ill-health, has 

 had cause to be grateful to a liberal employer, will miss in the 

 late Mr. Booth a real good friend. Under these circumstances, 

 it would be ungenerous to grudge a man the privilege of fol- 

 lowing his inclinations as a sportsman and a collector, because, 

 forsooth, he could kill more birds than a less fortunate collector, 

 knowing much better from experience how to set about it. 



Of the kind of knowledge he possessed, those who did not 

 know him personally, ma}^ form some opinion by turning to 

 his three folio volumes, entitled 'Bough Notes on British Birds,' 

 a work which was reviewed in this journal from time to time, as 

 it appeared in parts. Its high price (in consequence mainly of 

 the expensively coloured plates by Mr. Edward Neale) will, 

 of necessity, prevent it, in its present form, from ever becoming 

 very widely known ; but should the publishers ever decide, 

 as we hope they may do, to reprint the letterpress in an octavo 

 volume, we venture to predict for it a popularity which will 

 rival that of any work on British Birds which has preceded it. 



