PROFESSOR ALFRED NEWTON. 
518 
addition to the first two volumes of the 4th Edit, of Yarrell’s 
British Birds which he edited, ornithologists throughout the 
world are deeply indebted to him for his masterly ' Dictionary 
of Birds,’ a work the value of which cannot be overestimated, 
and the Introduction to which displays the depth and extent 
of his vast acquaintance with ornithological literature, and 
is a standing monument not only of his profound knowledge 
of his subject but of that precision and clearness of diction 
for which his writings are so remarkable. His last literary 
effort was the completion of the ‘ Otheca Wolleyana,’ 
a monumental memorial to his deceased friend John Wolley, 
with whom he was associated in forming the wonderful 
collection of the eggs of the birds found in the western palae- 
arctic region of which it is a catalogue. The preparation of 
this catalogue was the work of many years, the first part 
having been published in 1864, and the fourth, completing 
Vol. 2, not till the present year, 1907. It was always the 
professor’s ardent hope that he might be spared to complete 
what he regarded as a tribute to the memory of the friend 
he valued so highly, and whose early death he constantly 
lamented, its accomplishment gave him unbounded satis- 
faction. Some idea of the extent of this great work and of 
the collection which it describes may be gained from the 
report of the Strickland Curator of the University Museum 
of Zoology (Dr. H. Gadow), when recording the presentation 
of the latter to the University. 
Dr. Gadow, .after referring to the noble use made by the 
Editor of “ the bequest of his friend and fellow-traveller not 
only in working out the great collection . . . but by nearly 
doubling it, ... . and thereby amassing a well-nigh perfect 
collection,” proceeds to describe the catalogue, a work of 
about 1300 pages, which “ contains 6076 separate entries, 
referring each to from one to more than a dozen eggs, in all 
perhaps 20,000 specimens. The work is, however, not 
a mere enumeration ; it contains hundreds of critical remarks 
on the breeding habits of between 500 and 600 different 
species of birds .... and is illustrated with 36 plates, many 
of which represent characteristic Lapland scenery.” 
