AUTUMN MIGRANTS THORBURN'S DRAWINGS 165 



far superior to all but a few of the later ones 

 from Berlin. The only defects that I can 

 detect are that the breast of Grebe is hardly 

 silvery-white enough, and the colour of the 

 irides in principal Snowy Owl figure rather 

 too dark.' 



To F. D. Drewitt. 



' Lilf ord : October 30, 1890. 



* . . . I was never at Biskra . . . but the 

 sport par excellence of the North African desert 

 is hawking Houbara Bustards, Sand-grouse, 

 Gazelles, and Hares ; but I suppose that the 

 French make the Sheyks go to a " bureau " for 

 leave to keep a falcon, to another for a licence 

 to ride, to a third for a permis de chasse, to a 

 fourth for a Government stamp thereunto, and 

 to half a dozen more for leave to use hoods, 

 jesses, and bells, to be allowed to buy bacca, &c., 

 &c. . . . 



' I saw Kedwing on September 24, Brambling 

 and Grey Crow October 8. A Woodcock, the 

 first of the season, was shot by Cosgrave close to 

 our boathouse on October 20. . . .' 



