Page:Allan Octavian Hume, C.B.; Father of the Indian National Congress.djvu/55

 was absolute accuracy. Every bird-skin had to have a ticket attached showing sex, colouring of soft parts, certain measurements, locality and date of shooting. No egg was added to his collection unless species, place, and date were recorded on the shell. In most cases one of the parent birds was sent also, so as to make sure of the identity of the eggs.

"He endeared himself to all who worked for him. His enthusiasm was infectious and his knowledge of his favourite subject marvellous. He was known familiarly among his fellow-workers as 'The Pope of Ornithology.' In his beautiful Simla home, Rothney Castle, there was a museum for the collection, which was the 'Mecca' for all of us who collected for him ; and none of us ever left his hospitable roof and his charming society without having learnt something new on the subject we were studying from our guide, philosopher, and friend.

"The notes on bird life, sent from all parts of India and worked up by himself, grew rapidly and filled many folios. The collection gathered together during some five-and-twenty years amounted to the enormous number of sixty-three thousand bird-skins and nineteen thousand eggs. Everything promised well for the production of one of the finest works on ornithology that could be brought out. But, alas I this great work which was so near completion was never to appear !

"During the winter of 1884, when Simla was under snow and Mr. Hume was down on the plains, his house was left in charge of some of his Indian servants. The precious and voluminous manuscripts were deposited in one of the museum rooms. When he returned in the spring he found to his horror that these invaluable and irreplaceable papers had been stolen and must have been destroyed. Nothing could be done, for there was no clue as to when the theft had been committed. It is