58 THE GREAT AUK 



in the wild heathery tract which extends, with even now 

 but few interruptions, from beyond the parish in which 

 I write to Surrey the tract which you will see laid down 

 on any geological map as the " Bagshot Sand." Sup- 

 posing that the species did for a time become extinct in 

 any one portion of this district it would speedily find its 

 way to its old haunts, so well suited to it, from the 

 remainder. 



You may certainly have some authority for saying 

 that it was " introduced " to Wolmer Forest but with- 

 out direct evidence to that effect I should rather attribute 

 its reappearance (supposing White to be right in saying 

 that it had disappeared) to natural causes. But even 

 when White wrote Letter VI. which I think we may 

 put at or near 1789, the date of publication (for I 

 imagine that the first few letters were an after-thought, 

 and expressly written by way of introduction to the 

 published work, while the later ones were no doubt real 

 letters) a Grey Hen had been seen two years before only 

 and then there is the celebrated " Hybrid Pheasant ' 

 sent to him by Lord Stawell from Alice Holt, subsequently 

 to 1789, whose existence required that of a Black Grouse 

 of one sex or the other. Thus I am inclined to doubt 

 White's statement as to its extinction in 1789. 



As regards Bustards the birds which from time to 

 time appear in England are unquestionably of foreign 

 extraction. Nothing in the world can be clearer than 

 the extinction of the British race. Norfolk was their 

 last stronghold, but in the south of England they were 

 gone long before. 



These remarks are simply to explain the alterations 

 I have suggested on your " proof." 



I believe there is no good authority for the use of the 

 word " nest " as a verb, and hence I have altered it. 



In any natural history work I should always recom- 

 mend the printing of the English names of species with a 

 capital letter. They are in such cases to all intents and 

 purposes proper names, and should be so distinguished, 

 but I have not marked them on the " proof " for altera- 



