268 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



or taken in the country, and it may be difficult, if 

 not impossible, to verify any particular specimen as 

 absolutely the "last of the Mohicans." My father's 

 brother, Dr. B. R. Morris, had in his possession 

 a splendid specimen of this bird, which he had 

 apparently good reason to believe was one of the 

 last "drove" of British-bred ones which was exter- 

 minated in the year 1838. He was only just in time 

 to rescue it from being sold to a man for making 

 fishing-flies of its feathers. It is certain, however, 

 that specimens here and there were taken in Eng- 

 land long after this date ; indeed, the one from 

 which the figure was drawn for Mr. Morris's " His- 

 tory of British Birds" was killed so recently as 1851. 

 The drawing of this bird was made by Mr. John 

 Gatcombe of Plymouth, who wrote to the author, 

 under date February 14, 1853, saying, " I feel much 

 pleasure in sending you a drawing of the Great 

 Bustard obtained in this neighbourhood about a 

 twelvemonth ago, thinking you would like to figure 

 from an undoubted British specimen, and the last 

 recorded to have been killed in England." An 

 account of this specimen Mr. Gatcombe had given 

 in the Naturalist for February 1852. He had him- 

 self examined the bird at the house of Mr. Drew, 

 of Stonehouse, a bird-stuffer there, to whom it had 

 been sent for preservation by ]. G. Newton, Esq., 

 Millaton Bridestow, Devon, the bird having been 

 shot on December 31, 1851, and was perfectly fresh 

 when Mr. Gatcombe saw it. It proved to be a 

 female, and the stomach contained a large quantity 



