Birds. 1 2 l 



McConnell (F. V.) and Quelch (J. J.). 



546 birds from British Guiana. Presented. [95 11 28 l 

 97. !• 6, l-s; 98. 11. 21, 1-118.] 



This fine collection was made in the neighbourhood 

 Demerara, on the Essequibo Biver, and in the inland Savana country. It 

 oontained Beveral interesting forms in spirits, such as Hdiomii, 

 a good representative sel of the low-country birds. 



McCormick (Dr. Robert). 



L42 hirds and eggs from the Falkland Islands and theAntai 

 Bequeathed. [90. L2. 13, 1-77; 91. 2. 15, 1-1 1 ; 91. 6. L6, 1 



One morning in the year L884, several of the officers of the Natural 

 I list, -rv Museum were surprised at the Bight of a little old man ascending 

 with iiuite an elastic step the Btaircase of the upper floor of the M 

 and disappearing into the Botanical Department. Hi 

 to a by-gone age. A rather broad-brimmed 1 idem 



wig, his neck was encircled by a high stock, his waistcoat wa 

 very low, exposing a wide front of flannel shirt of the hues of a S 

 plaid. His swallow-tail coat was of a dark blue with gilt buttons, 

 his trousers were of a pronounced shepherd's plaid. I was U m 

 of my colleagues afterwards of the wonderful appearance of th< 

 gentleman I had seen, when a knock came at my door, and on op 

 it, I found myself face to face with the individual in question. < >n his 

 introducing himself as Dr. McCormick, 1 could not repress my astonish- 

 ment and told him that 1 thought he had been dead yean "Y< ." 

 he replied, "I know I ought to have been, hut I am not. 1 am e. 

 four years of age, and I thought, before I died, I should like t< ft 

 of the animals 1 shot when 1 was naturalist to the ErtblU and Zl 

 as I am writing my memoirs." This book appeared shortly aft r his \i.-it. 

 I conducted the old veteran round the Bird-Gallery, wh< 

 how he had shot the Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes J in the 

 Antarctic Ice-Pack with a rifle. The old gentleman did not man,! 

 \i>it the Museum again, but I used often to go and see him at his I 



Villa, Wimbledon, and I hope that 1 helped t" cheer oil 

 when he was wonderfully interested in the tame white Duck which he 

 has immortalised in his book. At his death, as a votive offerirj 

 bequeathed his natural-history specimens to the Museum. 

 of certain duplicates from the Antarctic expedition, which he had 

 permitted to retain, but they had been sadly neglected for many 

 and were nearly all moth-eaten. I was, however, able to keep ;i few 

 for the Museum. One of the most Q< I in connection with 



Dr. RfcCormick's specimens was that they were carefully labelled with 

 the date of capture, etc., but these particulars 



the Museum authorities ;it the time. 



During the Antarctic expedition, some specimens of a Gn 



(Megalestrw) were discovered, and these ultimately turn* I 

 to an undescribed species, which was named M- 



by Mr. Howard Saunders (Cat K, I • 21, pL 



• nt notes on the habits of Antarctic 

 pen have been published by Gould, and itsei 

 old hero should have been allowed to pass to ai 

 forgotten by his country, for which he had d 

 His hook, which appeared in L884, bore the following titl< 

 .u tin- Arctic and the An! up I 



persona] narratives of attempts to reach t .. 



