THE NORWICH MUSEUM. 83 



The collections, which are the property of the Corporation of 

 Norwich, are still under the watchful care of Mr. James Reeve, 

 who has had the charge of them for about forty-five years, and 

 are open to the public on four days in the week free of charge. 

 The first room which we enter is that devoted to — 



The British Birds. — The gem of the British collection is a 

 very perfect specimen of the Great Auk (Alca impennis), which 

 formerly belonged to Mr. Lombe ; and hardly less interesting is 

 the central case of seven Great Bustards, together with one egg 9 

 all native specimens of the old Norfolk race, with the history of 

 each attached. These particulars may be found in Stevenson's 

 ' Birds of Norfolk.' An inconspicuous little bird in Case VII. 

 may not attract the visitor, though Mr. Southwell makes 

 allusion to it, but is nevertheless of considerable import- 

 ance, since it is the first British example recognised of Savi's 

 Warbler (Locustella luscinioides) ; and not far off are three others, 

 the quartette being worth, according to the price at which the last 

 one changed hands, fifty-two guineas ! My late father had two 

 of these birds in the flesh. The first British Buffle-headed Duck 

 and the first British example of Steller's Duck are in separate 

 cases, as they deserve to be, and are in excellent preservation* 

 considering that they have both been stuffed for sixty-six years. 

 A King Duck (Somateria spectabilis) , shot at Hunstanton in 1888, 

 and presented by Mr. Southwell, to whose exertions the Museum 

 is further indebted for securing the unique Caspian Plover 

 (jEgialitis asiatica), stands near them; and a superb old male of 

 the Bed-crested Pochard, killed on Horsey Broad, is probably 

 the best example of this species ever killed in England. The 

 Red-crested Pochard is one of the nineteen British species which 

 were first obtained in Norfolk. A remarkably fine Squacco 

 Heron, in nuptial plumage, from Surlingham Broad, is well 

 worthy of attention. This and the Crane, Sabine's Gull (from 

 Brey don Broad), two white- winged Crossbills, and a Broad-billed 

 Sandpiper (also from Breydon), belonged to the late Henry 

 Stevenson, whose fine local collection the city of Norwich ought 

 never to have allowed to be dispersed. It would occupy too 

 much space to enumerate all the choice Norfolk-killed rarities 

 in this Museum, most of which have at one time or another 

 been reported in ' The Zoologist'; but among them are also the 

 following : — 



h2 



