OTIS TARDA. LE 
[$ 3199. Onve.—Great Massingham, Norfolk. “Probably about 
1835 or 1836.” From Mr. D’Urban Blyth, through 
Mr. H. B. Rodwell, 1857. 
I obtained the first intimation of the existence of this egg, in the possession 
of Mr. Rodwell, from my very good friend and fellow-investigator of the 
Bustard’s history, Mr. Southwell, in February 1856, having only a few days 
before received a letter from the late Mr. Scales informing me, among other 
things, that a friend of his, Mr. D’Urban Blyth of Massingham, had, about ten 
or fifteen years before, a Bustard’s egg found in a field on his farm. I there- 
fore wrote to My. Blyth, who most courteously replied, under date 20 February, 
1856 :—“Some years since a Bustard’s nest was found at a farm, adjoining 
mine, and the two eggs it contained came into my possession, one of which was 
soon after unfortunately broken, and the other I gave to my sister, 
Mrs. Rodwell, of Brancaster, for one of my nephews who had a collection of 
the eggs of British Birds, and would not, I think, be induced to part with it. 
I believe no male Bustard existed at the time the nest was found, but two or 
three females frequented the neighbourhood for some years previously.” I 
again wrote to Mr. Blyth for more information, and he again kindly complied 
with my request, writing a few days later:—‘In regard to the time the nest 
was found, I regret I cannot speak with any degree of certainty—{it was] 
probably some twenty years since; but I think if you write to Mrs. Rodwell, 
you can hear the very time the eggs were found in a wheat field on the Abbey 
Farm, the property of the Marquis of Cholmondeley.” Some time passed 
without my receiving any more positive information on the subject—Mr. Blyth’s 
warning as to the probability of his nephew being unwilling to part with the 
egg, making me careful not to precipitate events; but in the meanwhile 
Mr. Southwell kindly continued his good offices, and in the month of September 
he informed me that the Bustard’s egg in Mrs. Rodwell’s possession was 
certainly one of those which Mr. Blyth had, but that she did not consider it 
her own, as it was given to her for her nephew, Mr. H. B. Rodwell. Having 
further learnt that that gentleman seemed to care little or nothing about it, 
and haying obtained his address in London, I wrote to him making enquiries, 
He was so good as to reply on the 30th December, 1856, writing: —‘“I recollect 
when a schoolboy a collection of eggs at my father’s house, which were called 
mine, but whether I had any property in thein other than nominal I am unable 
to say.” Further correspondence ensued, and in January I called upon him, 
when he consented to a proposal I had made. A few days after he wrote, 
enclosing the copy of a warranty from Mr. Blyth as follows :— 
“T beg to certify that the egg of the Great Bustard in the possession of 
Mrs. Rodwell of Brancaster was brought to me some years since by a labouring 
person who found it with another in a nest in a field of young wheat in the 
parish of Great Massingham, Norfolk. 
“ Jan, 19/57. [Signed } D'UnBan BiyTH.” 
A few days after Mr. Rodweli was good enough to deliver the egg and 
original warranty to one of my brothers in London, who subsequently brought 
it to Elveden, and it has never since left our collection. On the other side of 
the warranty was written :—“ The farm on which the Bustard’s nest was found 
