J. £: J. 
>C Egg XIV. 
18 
‘‘ Lot 261. Egg of the Great Auk.” 
Bought by Mr. T. G. Middlebrook, of the “Edinburgh 
Castle.” Camden Town. London, for £189 O O 
Mr. Symington Grieve, in the “ Great Auk or Garefowl.” p. 104, 
writes that on 80th December, 1859, Mr W. R. Johnson, of Hackney, 
sent to Mr. R. Champley a copy of a letter undated from Sir William 
Milner, Bart. It is written from Nunappleton, Tadcaster. The 
following is what Sir William writes Whilst I was staying at 
Dusseldorf, in November, 1847, I heard that there was a Great Auk’s 
egg to be had at Perrot's, an out-of-the-way shop* down by the Seine in 
Paris. As I was returning to England I stopped in Paris, found that 
the information was correct, and purchased the egg from Perrot for 
200 francs, on 23rd November, 1847. 
This egg of Sir F. Milner's was exhibited by Mr. Edward Bidwell, 
at the meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club at Frascati’s 
Restaurant, Oxford Street, on April 17th. 1895. The specimen was 
described in the B.O.C. Bulletin as “ especially remarkable for the pitted 
nature of the shell,” 
In answer to my enquiries, Col, John E. Thayer kindly writes me 
that this egg (No.’XLV.), as well as eggs Nos. XV., "XVII. and 
XVIII. were obtained by him through Rowland Ward, Ltd,, and that 
they now form part of the collection of seven eggs of the Great 
Auk, in the Thayer Museum, Lancaster, Massachusetts, U.S.A, 
y EGG XV. (Sale number thirteen.) 
Sale catalogue No. 9188. An egg of the Great Auk, on June 25th, 1895. 
Described as “An egg of the Great Auk from the collection of Baron 
d’Hamonville, the property of the Baron.” 
Egg XV. - “Lot 211. EGG OF THE GREAT AUK. 
Taken in Iceland about 1830, by a 
shipowner of St. Malo, who bequeathed it 
to Comte Raoul de Barace, whose 
collection was purchased by the Baron 
d’Hamonville. 
This specimen (slightly cracked) which in 
colouring and texture is unique, was 
figured in the Memoirs of the Societe 
* Mons. Perrot was Naturaliste Preparateur at the Museum of Natural History, 
and his shop was at No. 9 Place de la Piti£. 
