OF SELBORNE. 31 



Gardens. I found it nailed up at the end of a barn, which 

 is the countryman's museum. 



The parish I live in is a very abrupt, uneven country, full 

 of hills and woods, and therefore full of birds. 



LETTER XL 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, September 9, 1767. 



IT will not be without impatience that I shall wait for your 

 thoughts with regard to the falco ; as to it's weight, breadth, 

 &c. I wish I had set them down at the time : but, to the best 

 of my remembrance, it weighed two pounds and eight ounces, 

 and measured, from wing to wing, thirty-eight inches. It's 

 cere and feet were yellow, and the circle of it's eyelids a bright 

 yellow. As it had been killed some days, and the eyes were 

 sunk, I could make no good observation on the colour of the 

 pupils and the irides. 



The most unusual birds I ever observed in these parts were 

 a pair of hoopoes (wpupa) which came several years ago in 

 the summer, and frequented an ornamented piece of ground, 

 which joins to my garden, for some weeks. They used to 

 march about in a stately manner,- feeding in the walks, many 

 times in the day ; and seemed disposed to breed in my outlet ; 

 but were frighted and persecuted by idle boys, who would 

 never let them be at rest *. 



Three gross-beaks (loxia coccothraustes) appeared some 

 years ago in my fields, in the winter ; one of which I shot : 



* [On the 3rd of May 1853, as I was driving towards Alton, just on 

 entering the parish of Hartley Maudytt, a hoopoe rose from behind a 

 hedge on my right, came over into the road, and continued its flight at a 

 short distance before my ponies' heads for about fifty yards, when it dis- 

 appeared over the hedge on my left. From the time of year at which it 

 occurred, it is very probable that it had a mate. The late Capt. Chawner, 

 of Newton Manor House, informed me that one had been seen at Newton ; 

 and Dr. John Curtis names Ropley and Wield, both in this neigbourhood, 

 as having been visited by them. It must, however, be considered as 

 amongst our rarest visitants. Mr. Yarrell mentions three instances of 

 this bird having bred in England. T. B.] 



