Birds. 337 



Davis and Soper (Messrs.). 



69 birds from the Makalaka country collected by the late Dr. I 

 shaw (q.v.). Purchased. [80. 1. 30, 1-G9.] 



Davison (William Ruxton). 



170 birds from the Nilghiri Hills. Presented. [82. 6. 8, 1-36 ; 

 83. 8. 1, 1-40; 84. 7. ,28, 1-90.] 



14 birds from Travaneore. Presented. [85. 7. 30, 1-14.] 



11 birds from Pahang. Presented. [92. 9. 1, 1-11.] 



Davison was one of the best collectors that the world has ever seen. 

 He was indefatigable as a worker in the jungle, but it was next to 

 impossible to get him to write anything about his experiences, although, 

 in conversation, his stories of the habits of birds were always interesting. 

 Mr. Hume has told me that even when Davison returned to Simla after 

 one of his expeditions, it was difficult to get him to write anything down, 

 as he was always wanting to be out of doors collecting among the bills. 



He was entrusted with the conduct of expeditions by Mr. Hume for 

 many years, and his wonderful explorations in Burma, Tenasserim, and 

 the Malay Peninsula are described in ' Stray Feathers,' the most important 

 memoir being the account, by Mr. Hume and himself, of the birds of 

 Tenasserim (Stray Feathers, vi., pp. 1-524). 



When Mr. Hume gave up his ornithological work, Davison visited 

 England and afterwards settled down for a time at Ootacamund in the 

 Nilghiris, whence he sent some interesting birds to the British Museum. 

 He was afterwards appointed to the Museum at Singapore, and made one 

 more expedition into Pahang. The death of his wife and the hardships 

 he had undergone in his younger days proved too much even for this 

 strenuous man, and he died in January 1893 (cf. Ibis, 1893, pp. 478- 

 480). 



The collections which he made for Mr. Hume's Museum were alwa\ e 

 beautifully prepared, and he discovered many new species, several of 

 which were named after him (Cyanops davisoni, Spilornis davisoni, 

 Geronticus davisoni, Jxus davisoni, Brachyurus davisoni, Turdulus 

 davisoni, Lioptila davisoni, Bemixus davisoni). 



Dawson (Prof. G.). 



300 specimens obtained during the Boundary Commission on the 

 49th Parallel, five species being new to the collection. Presented by the 

 Foreign Office. [76. 4. 15, 1-300.] 



Prof. Dawson was the naturalist attached to the British Commission, 

 while Dr. Elliot Coues was the American zoologist. The collection was 

 fully described by the latter. 



Day (W. S.). 



ISee Gerhard, E. 



Deasy (Major H. H. P.). 



L8 birds from the Pamirs. Presented. [99.8.3,1-18.] 

 36 birds from Tibet, Presented. [1903. 10. 3, 1-36.] 

 For an account of Major Deasy's adventurous journeys to Centra 

 Asia cf. Geogr. Soc. Journ. xi., pp. 544, 515, »',»;;,. 666, L898; xvi.. 

 pp. 501-527. 

 Degen (E.). 



67 birds' skins and specimens in spirits from South Australia. Pur- 

 chased. [99. 8. 11, 1-P.i; 1900. 10. 7, 1-48.] 



VOL. II. /- 



