240 CETJISES. 



the sum tottal of the whole I went down for a day 



to Lord Derby's, and was ' awed, delighted, and amazed' 

 by the magnificence of his aviaries, and other natural 

 history collections. Many kinds of birls. such as the 

 sacred ibis of the ancient Egyptians, of which I had before 

 seen only single specimens preserved as great rarities in 

 museums, were running about my feet in half dozens like 

 common poultry, and the Japan peacock, which I was the 

 first to describe and figure some years ago from a stuffed 

 skin in Edinburgh Museum, was moving about in the 

 bright sunshine like a constellation almost too dazzling to 

 look upon. There are twenty men employed in taking care 

 of these creatures, and many travellers are engaged in 

 various quarters of the globe collecting them, so that the 



expense must be enormous He wrote me a very 



civil letter, and requested me to come to the house to see 

 the collection of stuffed birds, which is also one of the 

 finest in the kingdom. The halls, lobbies, corridors, rooms, 

 furniture, paintings, &c, seemed all as they ought to be for 

 an old chap who is said to have about ,£160,000 a year. 

 I believe Lord Stanley has no particular turn for these sort 

 of things, and so, when he comes to his kingdom, the 

 chances are the aviary, &e., will be dispersed." * 



* The magnificent collection of stuffed birds has been presented to 

 the town of Liverpool, and of itself forms a noble museum. 



