APPENDIX. 6l5 



aldermen on a haunch of venison. The worms had been induced by 

 change of weather to approach the surface from below. I distinctly 

 saw the starlings drawing them up without the least appearance that 

 the ear had anything to do in the business. They seized the resist- 

 ing worms with the end of their bills, just as your own dunghills 

 would have done. I saw them distinctly at work, and of course I 

 adhered to my unaltered opinion, that starlings never use the ear in 

 order to acquire a supply of food. I have the honour to be, madam, 

 very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



CHARLES WATERTON. 



To Alfred Ellis, Esq. 



WALTON HALL, April?,, 1861. 



My dear Sir, Many thanks for your most welcome letter. I see 

 by its contents that we have both been in the same boat during the 

 terrible frost. Still you have the advantage in your Fauna, inasmuch 

 as that yours is on the increase, through the benevolence of your 

 neighbours; whereas, on the contrary, mine is visibly on the decrease, 

 owing to the folly of our landed proprietors here, who allow their 

 keepers to poison, trap, and shoot everything that is not pheasant, 

 hare, or partridge. Were it not for my park wall, every poor magpie, 

 jay, and hawk would be exterminated. Lately, a Yankee traveller 

 has been gulling our wise men with a most fabulous account of the 

 gorilla, in a lecture before the Royal Geographical Society. One is 

 mortified to think that such absurdities as the Yankee detailed should 

 be swallowed so easily by our grave doctors in zoology, and declared 

 to be sound information. An account of the lecture has appeared 

 in the Field of March 2, 1861, and has been sent to me, I conjecture 

 by Dr Buckland. As many parts of the lecture are at variance with 

 what I have written on monkeys, I considered that I had a right to 

 take up the pen. So I have given to the public my opinion of the 

 lecture. It has appeared in the Gardeners' Chronicle of March 3oth, 

 p. 288. If you have not seen it, I can send it to you, and you can 

 return it at your convenience. I have now a curiosity most probably 

 unique throughout the whole world. It is the head of an old sheep, 



