ALCA IMPENNIS. O90 
[J. One.—From the egg in the “ Museum Lébbeckeanum” at 
Diisseldorf. From Dr. W. Preyer, 1881. 
Naumann, wé supra, fig. 8. 
This model, the work (I believe) of Herr Pohlmeyer of Dortmund, was most 
kindly sent to me by the late Dr. Preyer, author of the dissertation ‘ Ueber 
Pliutus impennis,’ subsequently published in the ‘Journal fur Ornithologie’ 
(1862, pp. 110-124, 337-356). The original was the property of Herr Thecdor 
Lobbecke, who inherited it with the rest of his collection from an uncle, a 
friend of Thienemann, through whose means the egg was bought of Perrot, 
the dealer at Paris, in the beginning of 1846". It has been supposed that this 
is the specimen represented by the upper figure of Badeker’s plate (Hier der 
Europiischen Vogel, Taf. Ixx. 3); but, setting aside the present model, the 
photographs of Mr. Bidwell and Herr Kloune’s figure in the new edition 
of ‘Naumann’ (wt supra)—all of which substantially agree,—shew that the 
supposition is untenable, and the suggestion once formed by Prof. W. Blasius 
(Journ, fiir Orn, 1884, p. 156) has been abandoned by him in that later work 
(p. 175). ] 
[K. One.—From a copy made in 1849 of an egg formerly 
in the Museum at Boulogne-sur-Mer, and now in 
Mr. Rowley’s possession. From Professor Wilhelm 
Blasius, 1885. 
When sending me this cast Prof, Blasius was in the belief that the original 
specimen was that known to have been for many years in the Museum of 
Natural History at Paris, coming, according to M. O. des Murs (Rev. et Mag. 
de Zovlogie, 1863, p. 4) from the historic Abbé Manesse (1743-1820). But a 
comparison of photographs made by Mr. Bidwell shews this to be impossible, 
and it is certain that the original was one of the three which until 1848 
cr 1849 belonged to the Museum at Boulogne. It was reported, as I well 
remember, that they had been stolen, and that several tulerably well executed 
imitations in plaster were made and some passed off to the unwary as real eggs. 
But Mr. Bidwell informs me that the originals were lawfully acquired in 
exchange by the then Mr. Gardner, of Oxford Street, who sold them to Mr. T. 
H. Potts, of Croydon. On that gentleman’s emigrating to New Zealand he sold 
two of them with the bulk of his ccllection at Mr. Stevens's, 26 May, 1855, 
‘(In August or September 1846 Mr. Wolley was at Perrot’s shop (Place de la 
Pitié 9, Rue St. Victor) and bought some eggs of him (§§ 280, 2505, 2565). He 
was Naturaliste Préparateur au Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, and then had, as 
already stated (§ 4832), two eggs of Alea impennis, one of which he afterwards 
sold to Mr. Milner. In October 1849 he still had one, for which he asked 
950 franes. I know not what became of it; but the one bought by Mr. (afterwards 
Sir William) Milner was sold 23 April, 1895, at Mr. Stevens’s to the landlord 
of a tavern in London, in whose possession I believe it still is—Ep. ] 
