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great damage done aitiohgft them by the Jqtiirrelsy 

 which is fo much complained of by fome gentlemen 

 in the counties of Somerfct and Wilts j and I have 

 reafon to believe, from that enquiry, that the evil is 

 not confined to the abovementioned counties, as on 

 two eftates in this county, on which I believe the 

 plantations of Fir are by far the mofl confiderable, 

 — I mean thofe of the Marquis of Townfhend and 

 Mr. Coke, — I am informed by the latter Gentle- 

 man, that the injury done to thofe trees is fo very 

 great, that the price of a fhilling per head is paid 

 by him for all fuch of thefe mifchievous little ani- 

 mals as are deftroyed in his plantations; at the 

 fame time he told me, that, in Lord Sherborne's 

 park in Gloucefterfhire, the mifchief done by thefe 

 animals among the beech trees is very confiderable : 

 in my own plantations, neither beech nor fir-trees, 

 of which laft I have many, have fuffered from 

 them ; but they every year bite off moft of the 

 young fhoots of the young horfe-chefnut trees, fo 

 as totally to deprive them of one of their principal 

 ornaments, that of their flowers, for which they 

 have long been profcribed by me. 



In anfwer to your enquiry, refpecSting Oak Plan- 

 tations, I have inclofed to you thofe returned by 

 the gentlemen of this county, to the queftions on 



that 



