Stafford Collection of Birds recently sold at Oodalming. 257 



were permitted by Mr. and Miss Staflford, the son and daughter 

 of the collector, to inspect a MS. catalogue, which in some 

 instances gave fuller details than those m the printed catalogue, 

 and it appeared to us to add considerably to the confidence to be 

 placed in the authenticity and origin of the specimens. Miss 

 Staflford assured us that, though many of the specimens were not 

 killed by her father, but had been obtained by gift or purchase, 

 all had been obtained in the flesh, and skinned and set up by him. 



Mr. Staflford was a corn-dealer at Godalming, and had con- 

 verted the large barn-like upper story of his warehouse into a 

 museum. The cases of birds covered the walls all round, and 

 the long tables in the centre ; and the beams and rafters of the 

 roof were covered with a miscellaneous collection of armour, 

 weapons, pictures, and curios of every description ; of these it 

 would be easy to say much, and interesting details might be 

 recorded of many found in or connected with the history of the 

 county. 



Our notes must, however, be limited to the birds, and chiefly 

 to those shot in the county. We could form no estimate of the 

 value of the collection, or the price it was likely to fetch ; but we 

 were anxious that, if it should go at a moderate price, it should 

 be secured for the county, and not dispersed ; and we were 

 prepared to run the risk of purchasing it with this object. 

 Happily our eflforts in this direction were not needed, as it was 

 eventually secured by the authorities of the Charterhouse 

 School, where it will be added to their museum at Godalming. 

 The first bidder, either with assumed or real simplicity, put in 

 the collection at 10s. a case, remarking that he was no scholar, 

 and must leave it to the auctioneer to work the sum. This was 

 equivalent to £166, and it was ultimately knocked down to the 

 representatives of the School at £400 — a very handsome price, 

 and far beyond what we had anticipated. 



Some want of confidence in the authenticity of the records of 

 habitat, &c., have been expressed by authorities whose judgment 

 we should respect. The grounds for this distrust appear to be 

 that so many rare species had fallen into Mr. Staflford's hands, 

 and were stated to have been got in the neighbourhood of 

 Godalming ; but this difficulty is much reduced when we consider 

 that they include the casual or occasional visitants of sixty-five 

 years, and that the neighbourhood is one likely to be rich in 

 birds from its varied character, abundant water, extensive woods, 

 and reasonable proximity to a long line of coast. 



It was also alleged that Mr. Staflford had obtained many 

 specimens from Leadenhall Market ; this is true, but the fact that 

 these are carefully labelled as such, both on the cases and in the 

 catalogue, adds to, rather than detracts from, the authenticity of 

 those stated to have been killed in the locaUty. Scepticism is a 



