240 MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS. 



hesitate to pronounce it that discovered by you, tho' mine did 

 not possess any white on the tips of the quills or secondary 

 feathers ; but the belly was of a pure white, and the action of 

 its wings agrees with your description : besides the note it 

 commonly uses, which is somewhat grasshopper-like, it pro- 

 duces a shrill note five or six times repeated, something like 

 the marsh titmouse. One pair of these birds I only know of 

 about this neighbourhood now, the nest of which I have not 

 been fortunate enough to discover; if one should come across 

 you it would be an acquisition to me. You are perfectly 

 right in saying the name of willow wren is very inadequate. 

 I wish you had given them distinct names, as I believe you 

 have the merit of the original discovery. I am surprized 

 Pennant makes no mention of these acquisitions to ornitho- 

 logy, as your letter of the 17 th of Aug* 1768 long preceded 

 his last edition. Do you know if Latham has adopted them 

 in his t Systema Ornithologiae,' which is to come before the 

 publick next winter? I am at a loss for your blue pigeon- 

 hawkj especially as you say its female is brown ; from its place 

 of resort I should conceive it to be the hen harrier, and that 

 you had not corrected the mistake of other ornithologists, and 

 which Pennant fell into in his first ed n , where he gave the 

 ring tail for its female. Their habits and manners are nearly 

 the same, only the latter perch on trees occasionally ; its white 

 rump at once distinguishes it from all others when skimming 

 over the surface of the earth like the hen harrier : it makes 

 its nest on the ground. Both these species we have, but not 

 preserved, not having been able to procure them, being scarce 

 and shy. Perhaps I may be favoured with them from you, as 

 well as their eggs, another season, if not this. If y r pigeon- 

 hawk should be different, I should be obliged to you for further 

 explanation, as I am not acquainted with it by that name. 



The Hobby which I want has been called the blue hawk by 

 some : its eggs I should be glad of, and are no doubt to be 

 found in y r extensive woodlands ; they are scarce with us. 



You were surprized at my requesting of you the Goat- 

 sucker. 'Tis true many parts of this county produce them, 

 but they are not to be commanded ; and one bird in the spring 



