Letters, Announcements, ^c. 359 



In 1819, Mr. Bullock's museum and the extensive collection 

 of M. Dufresne of Paris happened to be for sale, and the Sena- 

 tus Academicus of the Edinburgh University voted a sum of 

 .€3000 for the purchase of a selection from the former, and the 

 whole of the latter. 



From the manuscript catalogue which accompanied Dufresne's 

 collection, it appears that it contained 1600 specimens of birds, 

 2600 shells, 12000 insects, 600 eggs of birds, 200 fossils, a 

 considerable number of Radiata, and a few mammals. 



A short time ago on visiting this museum, I pointed out to 

 the conservator the two eggs oi Alca impennis ; and he very 

 kindly gave me access to the manuscript records of the museum, 

 and all the information in regard to these eggs which lay in his 

 power. 



The eggs of the Dufresne collection had remained hid away 

 in drawers in the University Museum since 1819 till about three 

 months ago, when they were removed by the conservator to the 

 Museum of Science and Art. A large portion of the collection . 

 was broken and spoilt, but the whole eggs he had taken out and 

 exposed to view in glass cases ; fortunately the two eggs of Alca 

 impennis remained in good condition. I searched carefully 

 through the drawers in which they had lain since 1819, but 

 failed to discover a single fragment of a third egg. 



I have little doubt that both these eggs came from the Du- 

 fresne collection ; for though there are eggs of birds in the same 

 cases, that were procured in one of Sir Edward Parry's Arctic 

 expeditions, and perhaps from other sources, yet the writing on 

 one of the eggs, "G. Pingouin," agrees exactly with the writing 

 on the other egg of the French collection, and with that of the 

 manuscript catalogue which accompanied it from Paris. 



I searched in vain through the catalogue for any list of the 

 eggs, though the birds, insects, and shells are all carefully 

 classified and entered. 



One of the Great Auk's eggs is still attached with glue to a 

 piece of cardboard and is slightly cracked on the underside. 

 It has no writing upon it ; but as the cardboard on which it is 

 fastened is of the same colour and consistency as that on which 



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