on the Ocellated Turkey.



113



“ captured in the Bay of Honduras.” It was purchased for the

Paris Museum, and is probably still there. Cuvier described and

figured the new bird under the name of Meleagris ocellata ; Temminck’

of Leyden, figured it as Plate 112 of his ‘ Planches Coloriees.”

Eleven years later this beautiful species was seen alive in London, a

hen bird having been presented to the Zoo by the Earl of Ilchester.


About this time the thirteenth Earl of Derby was engaged in

forming his superb zoological collection at Knowsley Hall. The

Derby museum and menagerie became the largest and best in the

kingdom ; the menagerie occupied one hundred acres of land and

seventy acres of water, and cost over £15,000 a year in upkeep. The

museum contained the first Apteryx seen out of New Zealand;

five hundred birds, belonging to forty-five species, were bred in the

aviaries. Lord Derby introduced the Black-necked Swan, of which

he had six at Knowsley, and the rare Sandwich Island Goose bred

freely in the collection. No trouble or expense was spared in adding

to the series; collectors were despatched to the remoter portions of

the globe in order to enrich the cages and aviaries.


The Ocellated Turkey was a special desideratum—alive if

possible, but welcome living or dead. Lord Derby sent out Mr. J.

Bates (not H. W. Bates) to Central America for the express purpose

of obtaining the bird. Mr. Bates was away for fifteen months, and

made a considerable collection of animals, both living and dead. He

brought home a live (female) ocellata and also several skins of both

sexes. On July 2nd, 1851, Lord Derby died, aged seventy-seven ; the

museum was bequeathed to the city of Liverpool, and the menagerie

sold by auction. The sale began on October 6th, 1851, and lasted a

week, realising about £7000. Two of- the Black-necked Swans and

five Impeyan Pheasants were selected by Queen Victoria in accord¬

ance with his Lordship’s will; the fate of the Ocellated Turkey (if

then alive) is unknown.


Although the female ocellata is a fine bird, the absence of pairs

rendered these early importations of academic value only. In 1856,

however, a pair and an odd bird were obtained in Honduras, and

brought over in August of the same year by Mr. George Skinner and

Captain Wilson. The Turkeys were presented to Queen Victoria*

who deposited them in the Zoological Gardens. Unfortunately,


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