120 RING-OUSELS. 



When I was last in town, our friend Mr. Barrington most 

 obligingly carried me to see many curious sights. As you 

 were then writing to him about horns, he carried me to see 

 many strange and wonderful specimens. There is, I remem- 

 ber, at Lord Pembroke's, at Wilton, a horn-room furnished 

 with more than thirty different pairs ; but I have not seen 

 that house lately. 



Mr. Barrington showed me many astonishing collections 

 of stuffed and living birds from all quarters of the world. 

 After I had studied over the latter for a time, I remarked 

 that every species almost, that came from distant regions, 

 such as South America, the coast of Guinea, &c., were thick- 

 billed birds, of the loxia sxi&fringilla genera ; and no mota- 

 cillcB or muscicapidce* were to be met with. When I came 

 to consider, the reason was obvious enough ; for the hard- 

 billed birds subsist on seeds which are easily carried on 

 board, while the soft-billed birds, which are supported by 

 worms and insects, or, what is a succedaneum for them, fresh 

 raw meat, can meet with neither in long and tedious voyages. 

 It is from this defect of food that our collections (curious 

 as they are,) are defective, and we are deprived of some of 

 the most delicate and lively genera. 



LETTEE XXXVII. 



TO THE SA.ME. 



SELBORNE, Sept. 14, 1770. 



DEAR SIR, You saw, I find, the ring-ousels again among 

 their native crags ; and are farther assured that they con- 

 tinue resident in those cold regions the whole year. From 

 whence then do our ring-ousels migrate so regularly every 

 September, and make their appearance again, as if in their 

 return, every April ? They are more early this year than 



* This collection must have been very limited, and, of course, the conclusions 

 erroneously drawn from a few species. The muscicapidce and sylviadce 

 abound in all South America. W. J. 



