RINGOUSELS LIZARDS. 77 



observed these birds again last spring, about Lady- 

 day, as it were, on their return to the north. Now, 

 perhaps these ousels are not the ousels of the north 

 of England, but belong to the more northern parts 

 of Europe ; and may retire before the excessive 

 rigour of the frosts in those parts; and return to 

 breed in spring, when the cold abates. If this be 

 the case, here is discovered a new bird of winter 

 passage, concerning whose migrations the writers 

 are silent : but if these birds should prove the ousels 

 of the north of England, then here is a migration 

 disclosed within our own kingdom never before 

 remarked. It does not yet appear whether they 

 retire beyond the bounds of our island to the south ; 

 but it is most probable that they usually do, or else 

 one cannot suppose that they would have continued 

 so long unnoticed in the southern counties. The 

 ousel is larger than a blackbird, and feeds on haws ; 

 but last autumn (when there were no haws) it fed 

 on yew-berries : in the spring it feeds on ivy-berries, 

 which ripen only at that season, in March and 

 April. 



I must not omit to tell you (as you have been so 

 lately on the study of reptiles) that my people, every 

 now and then, of late, draw up, with a bucket of water 

 from my well, which is sixty-three feet deep, a large 

 black warty lizard, with a fin tail, and yellow belly. 

 How they first came down at that depth, and how 

 they were ever to have got out thence without help, 

 is more than I am able to say. 



My thanks are due to you for your trouble and 

 care in the examination of a buck's head. As far 

 as your discoveries reach at present, they seem 

 much to corroborate my suspicions ; and I hope 



Mr. may find reason to give his decision in my 



favour ; and then, I think, we may advance this 



