Page:A veteran naturalist - being the life and work of W.B. Tegetmeier (IA veterannaturalis00richuoft).pdf/12

LIFE OF TEGETMEIER he meant, and meant what he said, whether you liked it or not."

Not less conspicuous were the whole-hearted energy and singleness of purpose with which he applied himself to any matter he might take in hand; and this was the more noteworthy when the variety and breadth of his interests are considered. He was universally regarded as the final dictator in all relating to poultry : to many he was known as the first authority of the day on questions relating to the pheasant; to others he was the man who made the uses of the homing pigeon his speciality; the Fellows of the Zoological Society knew him as the author of thoughtful and informing papers on subjects so diverse as Abnormal Plumage in the Domestic Fowl and the Breeding of Salmon; at one stage of his career he was the man who knew more about becs and bee-culture than anyone else in England; there were those who knew him as an authority on the works of the poet Shelley; and yet again, a very large number to whom he was the best authority on domestic economics and female education.

And the remarkable thing is that all these different groups were right; when he took up any subject he worked at it until he had made himself its master, and felt entitled to speak or write upon it. He held in utter contempt the mere smattering of knowledge and when