COUNCIL FOR 1875. 
17 
Kindred/’ that the dodo was a gigantic pigeon. Mr. Allis was 
one of the very early members of the British Association, his 
name standing 69 in the Register of the Society ; he was elected 
a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1864, when he introduced to 
their notice the noble skeleton of the Moa (Dinornis Eobustus) 
that now enriches our Museum. This skeleton and that of the 
little Apteryx were his last eiiorts in that direction, the latter 
being articulated by him after he had reached the age of 83 
years. A firm believer in the truths of revelation, Mr. Allis was 
much opposed to some of the opinions of the present day, and 
as a reverent and careful observer of nature, the testimony of 
such a man is valuable. The taste for the study of natural 
history, which was so strong in him, descended to his son, who 
was a most industrious collector and arranger of insects. At 
the time of his death, in 1870, he was the possessor of a collec¬ 
tion of British Lepidoptera, comprising 1,873 species, and illus¬ 
trated by upwards of 20,000 sj)ecimens. This collection was 
presented by Mr. Allis to the Society. It is preserved in the 
Council-room, and can be inspected by application to the Sub- 
Curator. Mr. Allis’s connection with the Society existed for 
upwards of 40 years, during several of which he acted as one 
of its secretaries. Tie died at the ripe age of 87 years, retaining 
to the last an amount of intellectual vigour very unusual at 
such an advanced age. 
Mr. Davies, F.S. A., who died in August last at the advanced 
age of 82, was a native of York. He was educated in the pro¬ 
fession of the law, and was admitted a solicitor in the year 1814. 
Mr. Davies rapidly attained eminence in his profession, and in 
the year 1827 was elected to the important and honourable office 
of Town Clerk of York, which he held conjointly with the office 
of Clerk of the Peace for upwards of 21 years. Mr Davies’s 
tastes were literary rather than scientific, and he embraced the 
opportunity as the keeper of the City Archives to investigate 
the ancient records of the York Corporation with a view to 
historic research. In these investigations he was eminently 
successful, and as the result of his labours several volumes illus¬ 
trative of the social and literary life of his native city in times 
gone by proceeded from his pen. Mr. Davies became a member 
B 
