LORD LILFOKD 



mutual enemy, which has entirely crippled me 

 for the last eleven years. I am greatly delighted 

 to find that you are pleased with my " Birds of 

 Northamptonshire. ' ' 



' Your failure with the Nut-hatches was very 

 remarkable. I was once at Inverary with my 

 father for some days, as a tourist, and should 

 have thought that it was made for Nut-hatches ; 

 but they are curiously local in their habitat, e.g. 

 they swarm hereabouts, but at a place in the 

 south of this county that I hear of, are almost 

 unknown. 



' Your account of the Dipper with the 

 Flounder is delightful. I wish that our Nene 

 was suited to these charming little birds. 



1 A propos of the Dippers fishing, are you 

 aware that the Grey Wagtail wades into gravelly 

 shallows and captures small fry ? 



'I sincerely hope that your present attack 

 will soon pass off, and that I shall have the 

 pleasure of reading you, as I cannot hear you, 

 on the Eastern question. 



1 Yours very faithfully, 



1 LILFORD.' 



