A priceless part of the Natural History Museum's collection of tropical bird skins has been stolen.
Almost 300 brightly coloured specimens were taken from the ornithological collection in Tring, Hertfordshire, by thieves who are thought to have stolen them to order, possibly for a collector.
Detectives are investigating whether the birds could have been taken over a period of time by someone with official access to the museum, such as an academic or researcher. The curators said that some were more than a century old; they also fear that the birds could be ripped apart for use in dressmaking or as fishing lures.
