Abstract
MR. GEORGE MUIRHEAD, successively factor on large estates in Berwickshire and on the Earl of Aberdeen's properties in Aberdeenshire, and for the last quarter of a century Commissioner on the Scottish estates of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, had exceptional opportunities for studying the natural history of Scotland in very diverse regions. He made the most of these, and for long had been well known throughout the country on account of the particular interest he showed in bird life, in the artificial rearing of salmon and trout, and in floriculture. More than twenty years ago Mr. Muirhead conducted a series of experiments on the rearing of salmon fry in salt-water ponds near the estuary of the Spey, and succeeded in rearing fry, received from the hatcheries at Gordon Castle, through the smolt to the grilse stage. His most important work was his “Birds of Berwickshire,” the two volumes of which, published in 1889 and 1895, comprise much more than the ordinary local fauna, since they include readable accounts of the past history and of the legendary lore of the species found in the county. A few years ago the University of Aberdeen recognised the merit of his work by granting him the degree of LL.D. He died on Jan. 29 at the ripe age of eightytwo years, and is survived by his widow, the eldest daughter of the late Lord Sempill.
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[Obituaries]. Nature 121, 251 (1928). https://doi.org/10.1038/121251b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/121251b0