Notes

Abstract

WE have with much regret to record the death of Mr. Edward Blyth, on December 27 last, in his sixty-fourth year. Of Mr. Blyth it may be said that he was a Zoologist in the truest sense of the word, and his practical knowledge of the birds and mammals of India and the surrounding countries was probably greater than that of any living naturalist. Up till 1840 he devoted himself to the study of the ornithology of the British Isles, and in that year appeared an English translation of Cuvier's “Regne Animale,” in which the mammals, birds, and reptiles were edited by him; many of his own notes suggesting modifications in the then existing systems of classification, have been subsequently fully substantiated and adopted. For twenty-two years after this date Mr. Blyth held the post of Curator to the Calcutta Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, during which time, and in conjunction with Dr. Jerdon, he did more than anyone to advance the study of Natural History in India, and to improve the value of the collection he controlled. After a short visit to Burmah, daring which he did much good to zoological work, he returned to England in 1863, since which time he has contributed many valuable papers to ornithological and other journals, and under the very appropriate signature “Zoophilus,” a large number of excellent articles to the Field. With an unparalleled memory Mr. Blyth combined exceptional powers of observation and a genuine enthusiasm for natural history, which is but rarely seen; these made his impromptu observations and opinions of more than ordinary value, and no one was more willing than himself freely to give all information at his command, towards the assistance of any fellow-worker, or the elucidation of any difficulty in his favourite subject,