216 Zoology. 



circumstances, by Mr. Bullock himself, he trusts that his know- 

 ledge of many particulars, which may add interest or value to 

 the articles themselves, will be a sufficient apology (if any be 

 necessary for the manner in which a man chooses to dispose of 

 his own property) for his appearing before the public in the 

 new character of an Auctioneer : a character which he hopes to 

 convince those who may do him the honour of attending the 

 sale, he has not assumed from any unworthy pecuniary motive, 

 but from a proper desire to apprize the bidder of the actual 

 circumstances connected with the article he may wish to buy, 

 that he may be fairly and fully in possession of its nature and 

 character. 



" Any catalogue of a sale so various and complicated as this, 

 must be necessarily incomplete. A catalogue must rather lead 

 the eye to the article than explain it in detail ; but from the 

 nature of even one branch of the collection, the Ornithological 

 department, a detail is utterly impossible within the limits of 

 any printed statement intended for general perusal. The almost 

 exclusive command of the seas, during a protracted war, 

 successively filled this country from every part of the world 

 with the most novel and extraordinary specimens in this branch 

 of Natural History, which generally centred in this Museum, 

 and formed an important part of its extensive attractions. 

 There are many thousands of birds unknown (chiefly owing to 

 what we have already said of the maritime nature of the late 

 war) to Continental Naturalists, and for which names are not to 

 be found in the Linnean classification. The Proprietor is aware 

 of what he must suffer from the impossibility of describing in 

 detail a very large part of this branch of his collection ; but as 

 he repeats his fixed determination to sell without reserve, he 

 relies that the liberality of the lovers of Natural History, who 

 must be aware of the value of particular articles in their branch 

 of study, which he cannot describe as they deserve, will give 

 him that assistance on this occasion to which they may think 

 his labours entitle him, and his collection deserves : he neither 

 asks nor expects more. The Proprietor, as they must see, 

 availed himself of the great opportunities his country possessed 

 during the late war of enriching this branch of his collection at 

 a great expense. He now confidently relies that the result of 

 his labours will net prove an eventual bar to the laudable 

 enterprise of future collectors." 



It will be noted that Bullock claims to have an important 

 series of specimens from the ships engaged during the late war, 



