220 WHITE 



counties. In winter 1767, one was killed in the neighboring 

 parish of Farringdon, and sent by me to Mr. Pennant into 

 North Wales. 2 Since that time I have met with none till now. 

 The specimen mentioned above was in fine preservation, and 

 not injured by the shot : it measured forty-two inches from 

 wing to wing, and twenty-one from beak to tail, and weighed 

 two pounds and a half standing weight. This species is very 

 robust, and wonderfully formed for rapine ; its breast was 

 plump and muscular ; its thighs long, thick, and brawny ; and 

 its legs remarkably short and well set : the feet were armed 

 with most formidable, sharp, long talons : the eyelids and cere 

 of the bill were yellow ; but the irides of the eyes dusky ; the 

 beak was thick and hooked, and of a dark color, and had a 

 jagged process near the end of the upper mandible on each 

 side : its tail, or train, was short in proportion to the bulk of 

 its body ; yet the wings, when closed, did not extend to the 

 end of the train. From its large and fair proportions it might 

 be supposed to have been a female ; but I was not permitted 

 to cut open the specimen. 3 For one of the birds of prey, which 

 are usually lean, this was in high case : in its craw were many 

 barleycorns, which probably came from the crop of the wood- 

 pigeon on which it was feeding when shot; for voracious birds 

 do not eat grain, but, when devouring their quarry, with undis- 

 tinguishing vehemence swallow bones and feathers, and all 

 matters, indiscriminately. This falcon was probably driven 

 from the mountains of North Wales or Scotland, where they 

 are known to breed, by rigorous weather and deep snows that 

 had lately fallen. 



I am, etc. 

 NOTES 



1 The pettichaps is more usually known by the name of the garden war- 

 bler, but White's description is more like the lesser whitethroat, which is 

 peculiarly restless and active, and has a very silvery breast and belly. 

 G. C. D. 



2 See my tenth and eleventh letter to that gentleman. G. W. 



8 Of the hawk tribe, the female is always the larger, stronger, and hand- 

 somer bird ; the reverse being the rule among those birds which are not 

 birds of prey. G. C. D. 



