167 



ORNITHOLOGICAL AND ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 



ClIAKLES FOTHERGILL TO WiLLIAM FoTHERGILL, AdGUST 16th., 1799. 



^^As to the Willow Wrens, I think them the most active, and as beautiful 

 as any, of the genus. I also have met with them in woods, but they are 

 more frequent with us in Askam bogs, a large kind of morass, about two 

 miles from York, in which there are many trees though small ones. In the 

 thickest part of this place I observed some small birds very active in climbing 

 up and down trees, and catching insects with great dexterity; I watched 

 them for some time, and then, having my gun with me, I shot two of them 

 at one shot; no sooner had I taken them up than I pronounced them to be 

 Motacilla TrocMhis, and what was more singular, only two birds being shot, 

 they were of different sizes — the large and middle Willow W^rens were now 

 in my power: I therefore put them in my pocket in order to examine them 

 at leisure. I had not proceeded much further before I again saw some of 

 what I supposed to be the same birds, but smaller; accordingly I shot one, 

 and I found it was really the least of the three Willow Wrens. I was 

 much delighted, in one morning to meet with all these three rare birds, rare 

 at least here. When I reached home I examined "Latham's Synopsis," and 

 "White's Natural History of Selbornc," and found them really to be what 

 I had suspected them — the large, middle, and small Willow Wrens." 



Charles Fothergill to William Fothergill, January, 1809. 



^'This winter has not produced anything very uncommon in our vicinity 

 that has come under my notice. A man brought me a very beautiful male 

 Kingfisher which he had killed upon the Foss, behind our castle, during a 

 severe storm. The plumage was little injured, and I have its skin in tolerable 

 preservation. This bird is becoming very scarce with us." 



William Fothergill to Charles Fothergill. 



Spiders. — ^^I do not know much about Spiders, though they are certainly 



very interesting insects. When I made the little summer-house in our garden, 



it was plastered with the whitest lime I ever saw, and having a large window 



[the room was unusually light. In a very short time some Spiders of a com- 



;lDon kind took possession of the corners of the ceiling. In that room there 



were no holes or cavities in which they could hide themselves; and, what 



very much surprised me, the Spiders soon became nearly as white as the 



iVall, yet I am very sure it was not from the lime externally adhering to 



ithem. How have they the power of assimilating their colour to that of the 



'Situation they have chosen, and by that means becoming less conspicuous to 



their enemies, and less a terror to their prey?" 



"There is a sort of Spider not unusual here, whi^hrrr'P^feeg its web 



VOL. IV. /^\ 



