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been formerly in a large collection of natural history specimens 
belonging to Mr. Shepherd, of Bristol, and, having been labelled as the 
egg of a penguin, remained unnoticed for some eighty years. Writing 
me on 18th December, 1896, Mr. S. E. Shirley says: ‘ My egg 
has been here many years, and is believed to have formed part, of a 
large collection of birds, eggs, heads, feet, etc., bought by my 
grandfather early this century, but the catalogue of the collection 
marked ‘Catalogue of the Collection 6 of W, Shepherd, Bristol, 1807.' 
does not include the Great Auk egg; but it is badly done and other 
eggs are also omitted. The egg is a very fine one, boldly and richly 
marked, and of good size, quite perfect, with the exception that it is 
blown with a rather large hole. I fear this is all I can tell you about it. 
It was originally in a small cardboard case with a glass lid, and w r as 
stuck to the back of the case in quite the primitive style of egg- 
collectors.' 1 ’ 
A photograph of this egg was taken by Mr, Bidwell, in July, 1891, 
when at Ettington, and he also exhibited the egg at a meeting of the 
British Ornithologists’ Club, on 25th May, 1910, when it was described 
in the Bulletin of the Society (No. CLXi.. p. 115) as “one of the finest 
zoned specimens richly streaked with black ” and “the property of Mr. 
Evelyn Shirley,” 
A picture of the Great Auction Room at 88 King Street, Covent 
Garden, London, while Mr. Henry Stevens was selling this egg, forms 
the frontispiece of this pamphlet-vide PI. I. 
On June 15th, 1902, an egg of the Great Auk (from the Cliampley 
collection) was advertised for auction at Stevens' Rooms, but as it 
was not sent up for sale it was “ passed. ” 
