sale, and which was then disposed of by auction at the 
dispersal of Donovan’s Museum, at the above-mentioned 
Booms, in 1818. 
In this brochure I make no attempt to give a history 
of the Great Auk and its eggs, confining myself simply 
to historical descriptions—so far as possible up-to-date— 
of the specimens which have from time to time been put 
up for sale by public auction. 
I have found it necessary to quote somewhat freely 
from Mr. Symington Grieve’s “ Great Auk or Garefowl, 
Its History, Archaeology and Remains,” and also from 
his “ Supplementary Notes,” which appeared in the 
“Transactions of the Edinburgh Field Naturalists and 
Microscopical Society,” Vols. II. and III. (1887-8 and 
1897-8), as any notice dealing with the Great Auk and its 
eggs would be incomplete and valueless without reference 
to Mr. Grieve’s exhaustive researches. 
I here wish to acknowledge my great indebtedness to 
Mr. Edward Bidweil, for kindly lending me his complete 
set of Stevens’ catalogues, dealing with the sales of which I 
write, priced and with names of purchasers, also for the 
picture of Mrs. Wise’s egg, sold on March 12th, 1888, 
(PI. III.) ; and for much kind help in the preparation of 
this little work. My best thanks are also due to the authori¬ 
ties at the University Museum of Zoology, at Cambridge, 
for giving me access to the—I might say—unique 
set of Leverian and Bullock Museum Guide Books and 
Catalogues, once the property of Professor Alfred New¬ 
ton, E.P.vS.—which had, under the Newton Bequest, been 
taken over with the late Professor’s library and papers. 
To Mr. Henry Stevens I am particularly obliged for 
allowing me the use of his photograph of the bird and 
egg (the property of Sir William Milner, Bart.) sold at 
his Auction Booms, on April 23rd, 1895 (PI. IV.), and 
for giving me permission to have a photograph taken at 
the sale of the egg belonging to Mr. Evelyn Shirley, on 
June 7th, 1910, which forms the frontispiece of 
this pamphlet (PI. I.). My best thanks are also 
due to Mr. W. IT. Mullens, for drawing my attention 
to the Leverian and Donovan sales, to Mr. Rowland Ward 
for information about the Champley eggs, and to 
Dr. Norman F. Ticehurst and Mr. L. A. Curtis Edwards, 
for going through the proof sheets. 
Fairseat, High Wickham, 
Hastings, July, 1911. 
