( 



1915- Richard Manliffe Barrington. 1<^'J 



been one of the most thoroughly -enjoyed of all his expe- 

 ditions. His geniaUty and love of humour made it a 

 peculiar delight to travel with him, though this sometimes 

 (as in North Rona) involved sleeping for a series of nights 

 on the ground, or at other times (as in the Rocky Mountains) 

 adventures more suited to the pages of romance than of 

 science. 



In 1882 began his regular correspondence with the light - 

 keepers on the migration of birds. It was the turning 

 point of his scientific Hfe, for the work proved an infinitely 

 greater tax on him than could ever have been foreseen 

 when, conjointly with More, he became responsible for the 

 Irish section of the work of the British Association's 

 Migration Committee. 



The Irish hghtkeepers entered heartily into the scheme, 

 and filled up the schedules sent to them with, in many 

 cases, surprising regularity, fulness of detail, and — as far 

 as their knowledge went — accuracy. But it soon became 

 evident that the value to be placed on these observations 

 would be very limited, unless specimens were constantly 

 forwarded to ensure correct identification of the various 

 birds referred to. For instance, the earliest " Reports " 

 bristled with notes of the passing or striking of large num- 

 bers of " Wrens," " Tits," " Flycatchers," and " Linnets " ; 

 while it was clear that only in a very small minority of the 

 cases could the birds referred to under any of these names 

 have been correctly described. When in 1886, at More's 

 suggestion, the lightkeepers were asked to corroborate their 

 observations by the frequent sending of the legs and wings 

 of the birds found killed, the value of the results of the 

 inquiry became immeasurably greater ; but by the end of 

 1887 British Association considered that enough ex- 

 pense had been incurred in the printing of the lightkeepers' 

 voluminous reports, and so brought the series to a close just 

 as its results had begun to look most promising. It was a 

 great disappointment to many ornithologists, and Bar- 

 rington quickly resolved that, so far as Ireland was con- 

 cerned, the inquiry, and the publication of results, should go 

 on. From 1888 onwards the whole expense of the Irish 

 Migration Reports was therefore borne by him alone. 



