International Ornithological Congress in London, giving a presidential address on the history of the British Museum collection. This he also described in an official volume containing biographies of the various collectors (1906).
A vice-president of the Selborne Society, Sharpe laboriously edited White's 'Natural History' (1900, 2 vols.; for the fancy portraits of White, Sharpe repudiated responsibility, cf. Nature Notes, 1902, p. 135). While preparing this edition, Sharpe lived much at Selborne, and thoroughly studied the architecture and records of the district. At his death he had printed part of a work on 'Gilbert White's Country,' and was engaged on a history of the siege of Basing House. He died of pneumonia, at his home in Chiswick, on Christmas Day 1909. Sharpe married in 1867 Emily, daughter of James Walter Burrows of Cookham, who survived him with ten daughters. In 1910 his widow and three daughters were awarded a civil list pension of 90l.
In addition to the literary work already mentioned, Sharpe supplied the ornithological portion of the 'Zoological Record' between 1870 and 1908, and he described the birds in the 'Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror' (1875), in Frank Gates' 'Matabele Land' (1881), in the 'Voyage of H.M.S. Alert' (1884), in J. S. Jameson's 'Emin Pasha Relief Expedition' (1890), in the 'Second Yarkand Mission' (1891), and in the 'Voyage of the Southern Cross' (1902). He was also an extensive contributor to Cassell's 'New Natural History,' edited by Prof. Martin Duncan (1882), the 'Royal Natural History' (1896), and the volume on natural history in the 'Concise Knowledge Library' (1897).
[British Birds, 1910, iii. 273-288 (with a bibliography and photogravure portrait); Selborne Mag. 1910, xxi. 7, 127.]
SHAW, ALFRED (1842–1907), cricketer, born of humble parents at Burton Joyce, a village five miles north of Nottingham, on 29 Aug. 1842, was the youngest of thirteen children. Two of his brothers, William (b. 5 Aug. 1827) and Arthur (1834-1874), played in Nottinghamshire cricket. On his mother's death in 1852 Alfred left school to work as a farm servant. At eighteen he was apprenticed to a hand frame knitter. Early developing an aptitude for cricket, in 1862 he succeeded h^ brother Arthur as professional to the Grantham cricket club. Playing for the Notts Colts against the county eleven in 1863. he first displayed his great power as a bowler by taking 7 wickets, and helping to dismiss the county for 41 runs. In 1864, on his first appearance at Lord's for the Colts of England v. M.C.C., Shaw took 7 wickets for 24 runs and 6 for 39. Straightway appointed to the ground staff at Lord's, he held the post (with a brief interval in 1868 and 1869 when he was a member of George Parr's All-England eleven) until 1882. For several seasons he was the club's leading bowler.
Shaw played regularly for Notts from 1865 to 1887, and to his bowling was largely due the high position of the county during that period. His best bowling performances were for the M.C.C. v. the North of England, in June 1874, when he took all 10 wickets for 73 runs, and for Notts v. M.C.C, in June 1875, when in the second innings he dismissed seven of his opponents (including Dr. W. G. Grace, Lord Harris, and I. D. Walker) for 7 runs. In 1884, in Notts v. Gloucester, Shaw performed the 'hat trick' (i.e. obtained three wickets with successive balls) in each innings.
Shaw first appeared for the Players v. Gentlemen in 1865, and during his career played in twenty-eight of the matches. In the match at the Oval in 1880 he dismissed seven of the Gentlemen for 17 runs, and in 1881, at Brighton, six for 19. In 6-8 Sept. 1880 he played for England v. Australia in the first test match in this country.
Shaw paid two visits to America — in 1868 with Edgar Willsher's team, and again with that of Richard Daft [q. v. Suppl. I] in 1879, when he made the marvellous record of 178 wickets for 426 runs. He visited Australia five times: as a member of James Lillywhite's team in 1876–7; as captain and joint-manager of the English team in 1881–2, 1884–5, 1886–7; and as manager to Lord Sheffield's team in the autumn of 1891. [See Holroyd, Henry North, third earl of Sheffield, Suppl. II.]
From 1883 to 1894 Shaw had a private cricketing engagement with the earl of Sheffield in Sussex; during that period he coached many rising players for Sussex, and during 1894–5 he played for that county. He accompanied Lord Sheffield on a tour to Norway in August 1894, and took part in a match on board the Lusitania by the light of the midnight sun at Spitzbergen, on 12 Aug. 1894. Next year (Oct.–Nov.) he was with Lord Sheffield in the Crimea. After his retirement in 1895 Shaw acted as umpire in first-class matches.
Shaw, called by Daft 'The Emperor of Bowlers,' was a slow medium bowler, with a very short run, and with his arm almost level with the shoulder. Untiring and most
