THE GEORGE BROWNLOW BENSON COLLECTION BIRD STUDY
OF
SKINS
B . R . SAWFORD
Early in 1979 the Natural History Department of the North Hertfordshire Museums Services was offered, on long loan, the collection of study skins made by the late George Brownlow Benson of Southwold, Suffolk. The offer, which was made by the Southwold Museum via Mr. P. Täte, author of 'The Birds of East Anglia', and the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Trust for Nature Conservation, was accepted in May 1979. The collection consists of 130 specimens representing 81 species, mostly in a rather poor condition but with a number of interesting Suffolk records (see below). Although the majority of specimens have dates attached (ranging from 1960 to 1973), very few have locality data. Correspondence with Miss A. Mumford, Honorary Librarian for the Southwold Museum, states 'the specimens would have been obtained in this area (Southwold) sometimes brought in by his pupils'. It is thus assumed that, unless otherwise stated, most of the collection was obtained in the Southwold area, although the presence of a Golden Pheasant (see below) might suggest that some specimens were obtained from farther afield. Some of the more interesting specimens are as follows: Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus (juvenile/female) 16/1/63. Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus (male)—no attached data, but if found in the Southwold area it would have been well to the east of its documented ränge. Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta (adult head only) 4/1/62. Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus (adult), Reydon, Suffolk 18/10/71. The first Suffolk record. Bee-eater Merops apiaster (male) beach, Walberswick, Suffolk 15/7/73. Wryneck Jynx torquilla 29/8/70. Robin Erithacus rubecula—leucistic variety, Reydon, Suffolk 29/10/71. Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus 19/11/63. Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor 14/1/63. Twite Acanthis flavirostris 2/1/63. Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis 31/10/62.
Feral and escaped species Bob-white Quail Colinus virginianus (female) Yoxford, Suffolk 10/12/60. Vitelline Masked Weaver Ploceus vitellinus Reydon, Suffolk December 1966.
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc.
18part2.
128
Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 18, Part 2
Reference Payn, W. H., The Birds of Suffolk (2nd ed. 1978)
B. R. Sawford, Senior Keeper, North Hertfordshire Museum Services. Our Birds Section Editor, Mr. D. R. Moore, comments 'I was especialy interested to read Mr. Sawford's article as I was both pu andfriend ofG. B. C. ('Chris') Benson. In fact hefirstintroduced me to bird when I was just eleven and attending the Sir John Leman School at Becc where he was my form master. We never lost touch and we remained c friends until his death, which itself was a great loss to Suffolk Natural Histor I hope that the collection of skins has not permanently left the county. A the article says, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo was thefirstrecorded in Suffolk The Golden Pheasant I believe was a bird kept by Jack List, one of the keep at Walberswick. It used to run free, and I think it mayfinallyhave been hit a car.'
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. I8part2.