Biographical Sketch of Mr H. E. Strickland. 133 



however, on this subject, and the one which will give him a 

 place amongst the classical writers on the ornithology of this 

 country, is devoted to the history of the Dodo. Thie work was 

 published, as our readers will remember, in 1848,- with the 

 title " The Dodo and its Kindred ; or, the History and Affi- 

 nities of the Dodo, Solitaire, and other Extinct Birds."" It 

 was handsomely illustrated ; and was an example of how the 

 difficult subject of the affinities of extinct animals should be 

 dealt with. Mr Strickland was aided in the osteological 

 portion by Dr Melville. Since the appearance of this work, 

 he has twice published supplementary notices regarding the 

 Dodo and its kindred, in the " Annals and Magazine of Na- 

 tural History." One of Mr Strickland's last contributions to 

 science was on the subject of ornithology, — when, in the Sec- 

 tion of Natural History, the day before his death, he gave 

 an account of the Partridge (Tetraog alius) of the Great 

 Water- Shed of India, recently illustrated in Mr Gould's 

 " Birds of Asia." 



Although as a zoologist ornithology was his strong point, 

 Mr Strickland had an extensive knowledge of the various 

 classes of organized beings. Thus, several of his papers 

 were devoted to accounts of the Mollusca, both recent and 

 fossil, in various districts. One of his papers at the last 

 Meeting of the British Association at Hull was, as our readers 

 will see elsewhere, " On the Peculiarities of a Form of Sponge 

 (Halichondria taberea)." 



Mr Strickland paid a large share of attention to the ter- 

 minology of Natural History, — and was the reporter of a 

 Committee appointed by the British Association to consider 

 the rules by which the nomenclature of zoology might be 

 established on a uniform and permanent basis. These rules 

 were principally drawn up by him ; and they have since their 

 publication been very generally acted on, — and have contri- 

 buted greatly to simplify Natural History nomenclature. 



The general principles of classification could hardly fail 

 to interest a mind so discursive as his, — and accordingly we 

 find him at various times publishing on this subject. In an 

 early number of the " Annals and Magazine of Natural His- 

 tory" he inserted a paper (i On the true Method of discovering 



