“The Egg Man Cometh”
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X8105400310 |
| Date | 01 July 1981 |
| Published date | 01 July 1981 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DETECTIVE
CHIEF
INSPECTOR J. P. PICKARD
No.5
Regional Crime Squad. Hatfield.
liTHE EGG
MAN
COMETH"
Early in 'November 1979, information was received from Ex-
Commander "Nipper" Read, the Chief Security Adviser for the
British (Natural History) Museum, at
No.5
Regional Crime Squad
Headquarters, that the Curator of the Museum at Tring believed
exhibits were missingfrom an enormous collection of wild birds' eggs
held there. The collection included species from all over the world, in
some cases extinct species.
It
is the most comprehensive collection in
the world and isused as a source of reference and scientific study by
scientists from many countries. Each egg in the collection is
authenticated by its original collector, in many cases more than one
hundred years ago, and the Curator was of the opinion that in
addition to the reported losses, some eggs had been removed and
eggs of similar appearance had been substituted.
Officers from No. 5 Regional Crime Squad, namely Detective
Sergeant Adams, Detective Constable Giles and Detective Chief
Inspector Pickard began their investigation and liaised with the
Curator, Dr. C. J. O. (Ollie) Harrison. Before long their sights
focussed on the possible "Jackdaw", one Mervyn Patrick
Shorthouse, (CRO) who had been a regular visitor to the Museum
for years. It was established that he had visited the Museum at least
once a week and that his next visit was to be on November 7.
On the day in question discreet observations were kept and
eventually the officers were rewarded by the sight of the suspect
walking through the entrance of the Museum. They maintained their
vigil and at lunchtime they watched him leave the Museum and,
getting into a car, make his way to a nearby copse. He was followed,
covertly, and despite appalling conditions, the Detective Chief
Inspector stoically remained in his car whilst his men, on foot,
hopped from hedge to hedge in the rain, to see what their static
quarry was doing. The steamed up windows of the car revealed
nothing, but, suddenly, the car began to move, forcing the officers
watching in the bushes to hurriedly drop from sight. The suspect
returned to the Museum and, feeling frustrated, the officers renewed
their surveillance. Darknessfell and when Mr. Shorthouse finally left
in his car he was stopped at a roadblock especially set up for that
purpose. Having been taken to Tring Police Station the officers were
delighted to find their prisoner with "clutches" of eggs in his
July 1981 279
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