12 THE BIRDS OF SUFFOLK. 



Collett, of Woodbridge ; Freeman, of Lowestoft ; Richold, 

 of Long Melford ; Cutmore, of Hartest ; Podd, of Ipswich ; 

 Garrard, of Lavenham ; Howlett, of Newmarket ; Mr. Rose 

 and Mr, Simmons, of Sudbury ; Mr. Hurr, Mr. Lowne, and 

 Mr. G. Smith, of Yarmouth. To these should be added 

 Mr. Thirtle, of Lowestoft, who kindly transcribed for my 

 use the notes left by his father, a well-known taxidermist, 

 and has added to them many of his own. 



With regard to what has been done in the past for 

 Suffolk ornithology, the first notice that I have met with of 

 any attention being paid to the subject is in Willughby's 

 Ornithology. Francis Willughby died in 1672, and his papers 

 were arranged and edited by John Ray, the veritable father 

 of English naturalists. The first edition was entitled 

 Ornithologioe Libri tres (London, 1676, folio), and contained 

 78 plates. In the preface " D. Philippus Skippon de 

 Wrentham, in Suffiolcia, armtger, 7 ' (prsef, a 3) is named 

 amongst those who rendered assistance to the work. 

 Nothing is said of the nature of the help received from 

 Sir Philip Skippon, but in the English edition " trans- 

 lated and enlarged with many additions," by Ray, which 

 appeared two years later ( 1678), and contained the same 

 plates, we find more explicit information — '' Sir Phillip 

 Skippon, of Wrentham, near Hliborough (Blythburgh), 

 in the county of Suffolk, Knight, who communicated the 

 pictures of several birds we wanted.'' In the Latin edition 

 I can find no localities given for Suffolk birds, but in the 

 English edition a few such are recorded, having probably 

 been added by Ray himself. " The Bustard," he says, "is 

 found in . . Suffolk" (p. 178), but even then it sold 

 very dear, " serving only to furnish Princes' and great men's 

 tables at public entertainments'' (p. J 79.)* Of the Avocet 

 be says, "They (the Avosetta) do also frequent our Eastern 



* It is pofsible enough that some houshold book of Lord North are pub- 

 ancient houshold entries containing men- lished in the Archoeologia, vol. xix., pp. 

 tion of Suffolk birds may be in existence 283-302, partly made during Q. Eliza- 

 of earlier date than Willughby, such as beth's stay at Kirtling, near Newmarket, 

 those of the L'Estrange family at Hun- Very possibly some of the birds mentioned 

 Stanton in Norfolk. Extracts from the may have come from Suffolk. 



