APPENDIX. 7*7 



known to breed here: the caufe that principally 

 urges them to leave this country, feems to be not 

 merely the want of food, but the defire of a fecure 

 retreat. Our country is too populous for birds fo 

 fhy and timid as the bulk of thefe are: when great 

 part of our iftand was a mere wade, a tract of 

 woods and fen; doubtlefs many fpecies of birds 

 (which at this time migrate) remained in fecurity 

 throughout the year. Egrets, a fpecies of Heron, 

 now icarce known in this iiland, were in former 

 times in prodigious plenty ; and the Crane, that 

 has totally forfaken this country, bred familiarly 

 in our marines : their place of incubation, as well 

 as of all other cloven footed water fowl (the Heron 

 excepted) being on the ground, and expofed to 

 every one : as rural (Economy increafed in this 

 country, thefe animals were more and more dif- 

 turbed \ at length, by a feries of alarms, they were 

 neceilicated to feek, during the fummer, feme lonely • 

 fafe habitation. 



On the contrary, thofe that build or lay in the 

 almoft inaccefilble rocks that impend over the 

 Britijb feas, breed there ftill in vafc numbers, haw 

 ing little to fear from the approach of mankind: 

 the only difturbance they meet with in general, be- 

 ing from the defperate attempts of fome few to gee 

 their eggs. 



CLOVEN 



