THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



137 



round A club was formed at Dodson's into 

 which each member paid a certain amount 

 weekly, and when a sufficient sum had been 

 raised, a parcel of skins and insects was sent 

 for to one of the London dealers. The 

 things were kept on show for some weeks and 

 each member picked out to the amount of 

 his contributions. Many of these clubs have 

 since existed, and although a public-house 

 is far from being the best place in the world 

 for such a purpose, yet many have thus been 

 able to procure specimens which they would 

 not have obtained in any other way. 



Varley used frequently to walk from Clay- 

 ton West to Dodson's, a distance of six 

 miles, to the Sunday evening meetings, and 

 used also to tramp to different parts of the 

 country to see the various bird fanciers. 

 One of the men he used frequently to visit 

 was James Mosley (the father of the writer;, 

 who then lived at Cowmis, near Lepton. 

 Mosley, and Crabtree (of Halifax), were two 

 of the crack hands, and their work was very 

 different from the botched jobs done by 

 Johnny-at-Bum. Mosley was known through 

 the district as a neat workman, and he 

 stuffed for many in the club who did not do 

 their own ; and there existed a kind «of 

 rivalry as to who could own the best case. 

 In the club there was a Paddock man, 

 named Dyson, he was a single-step dancer, 

 and made some money besides his regular 

 wages by dancing. He always took the lead 

 for show cases. He would buy the best 

 birds, and have them done in the best style. 

 He had a particular liking for high-coloured 

 foreign birds, especially parrots. About 

 the year 1846, Mosley had done him a large 

 case of parrots in his best style. It was 

 finished and ready for going home when 

 another member of the club went to see it. 

 He had some that had been done by Johnny- 

 at-Bum, and when he returned home his 

 wife was reading by candle-light ; without 

 speaking a word he took up the candlestick 

 and flung it through the glass of his bird 



case. When his wife asked for an expla- 

 nation, he said if he could have no better 

 than them he would do without. 



Varley did not live long at Clayton West, 

 but removed to Almondbury Bank, to 

 which place Mosley also removed shortly 

 after. From this time they both visited the 

 sea shore every season, for the purpose of 

 obtaining sea birds. Sometimes they went 

 together, and sometimes in company with 

 others. One of their best places was Flam- 

 bro' Head. The outfit for these ex- 

 cursions consisted of a gun and a wicker- 

 work hamper ; the latter on starting out 

 was filled with provisions, clean linen, and 

 skinning implements, and on their return 

 would be filled with birds' skins. One year 

 a party of six had gone to Spurn Point, 

 and finding birds scarce there, they 

 resolved to tramp, with gun and hamper 

 up the coast to Flambro. This was a tough 

 three days journey, and the weather was 

 reeking hot. At one 'point they found a 

 large fish, which had been left in a shallow 

 pool by the tide, this they captured and 

 determined to have it cooked at the first 

 opportunity. The next village they came to 

 a lot of children were playing on the road, 

 but when they saw six men with guns and 

 hampers, they set up a scream, and ran for 

 their lives. When the tramping naturalists 

 got into the village they found the doors 

 locked, and had some difficulty in persuading 

 anyone to cook their fish. They succeeded 

 however, at last, and one of the party often 

 told afterwards how he enjoyed " four plates 

 full " ot it. 



About this time Morris' British Birds 

 came out in shilling numbers, and as it con= 

 tained coloured figures of all the British 

 birds, and the price was within the reach of 

 a working man, it supplied a want that had 

 long been felt, and gave fresh zeal to the 

 workers in that line. 



It was during the latter part of Varley's 

 life however, that he paid most attention to 



