ALCA IMPENNIS. 369 
[Mr. Wolley must hereupon have written to Mr. William Bree, as the latter 
replied to him from Polebrook, Oundle, 27 March, 1856 :—] 
“<T fear there is not much chance of finding anything more about 
the histery of the egg, but at any rate I will write to Mr. Dudley 
again. ... When I do so I will cross-examine him very closely and 
ask him to confer with his brothers, who were joint collectors with 
himself. Ido not think they ever had a large collection, and I do 
not think it very likely that they had the Great Auk’s egg from a 
dealer ; but suppose that it was given to them along with some other 
sea-birds’ eggs, all of which were transferred to me some years ago. 
I can answer for my father never having written upon the egg: and 
I do not recollect having done so myself; but, if I did, it was ‘ Great 
Auk’ and nothing more. You shall hear from me as soon as I 
receive Mr. Dudley’s answer.” 
[Mr. William Bree again wrote from Polebrook, 16 April, 1856 :—] 
“T have just received a note from Mr. Alfred Dudley, from whom 
it appears I received the Great Auk’s egg. I send you a copy of 
what he writes me on the subject :—‘ I believe it was given me by a 
schoolfellow, Thomas Davies, now of the firm of T. Davies and Son, 
Iron Masters, West Bromwich. ... I do not know his address, but 
he married a Miss Unett, of Birmingham. Perhaps this may enable 
you to find him, if you desire to trace the pedigree any further. I 
think he obtained it from some friend who bought it out of some 
Museum, or at some bathing-place. There were a few Gulls’ eggs 
with it, but as it happened some twenty years or so ago, tlhe memory 
becomes treacherous.’ I fear this amount of information will not 
benefit you much, though it certainly is possible that Mr. Davies 
might be able to call to mind some further particulars about the egg. 
I seem to recollect the name of Unett as connected with Birmingham, 
but do not know where the family resides. Mr. Wilmot perhaps may 
know something of them by name, as he lived in Birmingham some 
years ago.” 
[The hint centained in the last sentence was acted upon, and Mr. Wolley 
having left England soon after for the Baltic, the investigation was continued 
by Mr. Wilmot, who in due time received a letter dated Broomhill, Great Bayr 
9 June, 1856, from Mr. Thomas EF. Davies, as follows :—] 
“Mr. George Unett has handed to me your letter of the 29th 
ultimo. Iam sorry that my memory will not serve me sufficiently to 
give you any idea whence the eggs in question came from. I was, at 
the time referred to, a collector, but 1 used to obtain them from so 
PART III. 2.8 
