Obituary 91



OBITUARY


The loss of Herr F. Blaauw, the veteran Dutch naturalist and

aviculturist, will be deeply felt all over the world. One of our oldest

members, Mr. Blaauw has contributed many interesting articles to

our Magazine since its beginning. His private Zoological Park at

Gooilust, near Amsterdam, was one of the best in the world. Provided

with an abundance of water and sheltered by immense beech trees

on which Herons and Cormorants nest in large numbers, it contains

a famous collection of Waterfowls and Cranes, as well as aviaries

where Hawks, Ibises, Game and Passerine Birds were kept and often

bred. Most species of Geese have been reared there for the first time

in capitivity and it is partly thanks to Mr. Blaauw’s efforts that the

Trumpeter Swan was saved from extinction, young birds bred at

Gooilust having several times been sent to America and liberated in

parts of their native haunts, whence they had unfortunately dis¬

appeared. Besides birds, there are at Gooilust very interesting mammals,

particularly White-tailed Gnus and Przevalsky’s Wild Horses, and

also plants, most of which have been brought home by their owner

on his return from his many travels to different parts of the world.


Several of Herr Blaauw’s studies on birds have been published in

the Ibis and in French and German scientific periodicals, while his

monograph of the Cranes, written in English, is well known to all

ornithologists.


It is greatly to be hoped that Gooilust with its collections will be

preserved as a national monument for the people of Holland.


J. D



CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.


MR. SETH-SMITR’S MOUSE TRAP


In the August number of our Magazine, Mr. Seth-Smith described his

wonderful trap, and as it happened I was being plagued to death by an

invasion of these little pests, I set to work, and after some difficulty procured

a supply of 64 Little Nipper 55 traps, which I think were slightly larger than

those described. I found that to make them work properly the pedal had

to be taken off and a little rough ledge at the hinge of the pedal filed away.

When this was done we caught any amount of mice, sometimes three in a

four-trap box at one time. Soon we had the mice under control, but I still

keep the traps set, and now and then get an odd one. I think everyone



