io8 Recent Notes on the Great Auk. [Sess. 



E. Champley for introducing me to the Rev. S. Edward Fitch. M.D., 

 Scarborough, who sent me the following information on 5th October 

 1885. After mentioning that he had got the information from the 

 Rev. R. J. Buddicom, he says : " It appears about forty years ago a 

 Mr Pinches of Ticherton Church, Shelton, Salop, purchased of Mr 

 Henry Shaw, 45 High Street, Shrewsbury, this bird, — that at the 

 death of Mr Pinches it came into the possession of Mrs Buddicom, his 

 sister, and was sold about thirty years ago to Sir William Milner of 

 Nunappleton, Yorkshire. From the letter received from Mr H. 

 Shaw, to whom I at once wrote, I find that he purchased it from 

 Mr Leadbetter, but does not know how, when, or where Mr Leadbetter 

 obtained it." This specimen is now loaned to the Leeds Museum by 

 Sir Frederick Milner, son of Sir William Milner. (For further infor- 

 mation see ' The Great Auk ; its History, Archaeology, and Remains,' 

 App., p. 14.) 



Germany. 



Metz. Town Museum. — Mr G. A. Frank, 9 Haverstock Hill, 

 London, writing me on 25th October 1887, says : " I have seen this 

 summer the specimen in Metz (Malherbe), but I fear that this bird 

 will not last a great many years, as the moths have got in it." 



Holland. 



Amsterdam. Museum of Royal Zoological Society. — On the 29th 

 October 1885, Dr G. F. Westerman, Director of the Royal Zoological 

 Museum, writes me : " I beg to inform you that the proper date we 

 bought the stuffed specimen is May 18, 1840." 



Norway. 



Christiania. University Museum of Natural History. — The speci- 

 men that was in the collection of Herr Nicolai Aall at Naes, near 

 Arendal, has been recently remounted, and is now in the above 

 museum. 



Switzerland. 



Lausanne. Museum of Natural History. — The Vouga collection 

 from Cortaillod is now in this museum. Mr G. A. Frank of London 

 wrote me from LaiTsanne on 13th June 1886, and says : " It may 

 interest you to know that the Vouga collection was sold some five 

 months ago to the Lausanne Museum. The price paid for it was 12,000 

 francs. I went to see the collection to-day with Dr Larguier, The 

 birds are not unpacked yet. The only bird I saw was the Auk, a 

 fine female." 



United States. 



New York. American Museum of Natural History. — It has been 

 clearly shown by a writer in 'The Auk,' vol. iii., No. 2, p. 263, that 

 there is only one skin of Alca impennis in this museum, which is the 

 fine specimen originally in the collection of Dr Troughton. (See ' The 

 Great Auk ; its History, Archseology, and Remains,' App., p. 19.) 



