Mil. F. D. PALMER ON OLD-TIME YARMOUTH NATURALISTS. 
73 
treatises on Hawking. He had also a few good paintings, one by 
Sir Joshua Reynolds. The whole of his collections were sold 
by auction after his death, which occurred at Lowestoft. 
Lilly Wigo, of whom so little is known. The late Hampden 
Glasspoole compiled a notice of his life, which has appeared in 
our ‘Transactions’ (vol. ii. p. 2G9). There is one fact with regard 
to him which is never forgotten by naturalists. I allude to the 
eating of the Red-breasted Goose, as to which it has been 
stated that the only example of this beautiful and extremely rare 
species, recorded as procured in Norfolk, is the one mentioned by 
most of our local authorities as purchased by him in the Yarmouth 
market. This specimen, however, according to contemporary 
evidence, was plucked and eaten, and its claim to a place in the 
Norfolk list must rest entirely on the credibility of the statements 
respecting it made by himself. In Sir William Hooker’s manu- 
script notes from 1807 to 1840, “Touching the Natural History 
of Yarmouth and its Environs,” Mr. Wigg’s name appears on the 
title-page, associated with that of the late Mr. Dawson Turner and 
others, as joint contributors ; whilst, among the entries, signed 
with the initials “ L. W.,” is “ Red-breasted Goose shot near 
Yarmouth.” Mr. Hunt, -who gives a very accurately-coloured plate 
of this species in his ‘British Birds,’ published in 181 3, and was 
well aware of its rarity in collections, remarks : “ Mr. Wigg, of 
Yarmouth, informs us that he purchased a specimen in the Market 
Place of that borough a few years since.” And the following 
explanation, as given by Mr. Dawson Turner to Mr. J. H. Gurney, 
after Mr. Wigg’s decease is, I have no doubt, correct. The latter 
gentleman, it seems, had a habit, arising from a curiosity, partly 
scientific and partly gastronomic, of tasting every variety of bird 
that came in his way ; and not aware, at the time, of its real value, 
he bought and ate this Goose as one he had never before tasted, 
and was not a little chagrined afterwards to find that he had 
sacrificed so great a rarity. It is further interesting to note, as 
regards this worthy, that Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear, writing 
in 182.), state Wigg had two specimens of the Castaneous Duck, 
both killed at different times in the neighbourhood of Yarmouth. 
One of these he presented to Youell, while the other he appears 
again to have eaten. 
