232



Major Horsbrugh’s Indian Collection.



As for birds being unhappy in partial captivity, that we know

to be the veriest nonsense: indeed there are scores of recorded in¬

stances in which, when liberated, they have voluntarily returned to

their former owners : this is not surprising when one considers that

a wild bird is subject to frequent alarms from predaceous birds and

beasts, that it often has much difficulty in obtaining sufficient food

to satisfy it, and that in the winter in this country it is exposed to

all the bitter and trying vicissitudes of our most uncertain climate.



MAJOR HORSBRUGH’S INDIAN

COLLECTION.


In the first week of May, Mr. Frost brought back to England

a wonderful collection of birds, which were principally inhabitants

of the Himalayas.


Major Horsbrugh himself travelled to Genoa to meet the ship

which had borne so many treasures from India, and I, joining him

at Milan, not only acted as interpreter with regard to various

arrangements with the Italian railway officials, but also had the

privilege of seeing the collection of 400 birds on board the steamer

after she had come alongside the quay in the far-famed Genoese

port. Having some few hours in Milan, w T e took the opportunity of

visiting the Turati collection of stuffed birds, which Professor

Giacinto Martorelli, the Director, showed us with all the courtesy

and kindness that a kind and courteous Italian can show. It is

an extremely fine collection, one of the best in the world, and w T e

only had time to merely glance at portions of it, especially taking

notice of stuffed skins of some of those birds which we hoped to

see alive two days afterwards.


On the following day, after our arrival at Genoa, there was

much conversation with the master of the principal station, and

also with a custom house official. All went well, which is a matter

of congratulation in Italy, where officials are concerned, and arrange¬

ments were duly arrived at whereby Major Horsbrugh could take a

certain number of the more delicate birds by rail from Genoa to

Paris, and so on to England.



