210 LORD LILFORD 



the decoy man, and already quite taine and 

 impudent. . . . 



' The wild, or rather tame, fowl on the water 

 in St. James's Park, years ago were maintained 

 or supposed to be maintained by a Society 

 which bore the name of ' ornithological,' with the 

 prefix of the definite article. I paid a sovereign 

 in the year 1853 to a gentleman who called 

 himself secretary of the said Society, but the 

 only member that I could ever hear of besides 

 myself was dear old William Yarrell. I kept a 

 Serpent Eagle, several Marsh Harriers, two 

 Stone Curlews, and other birds on the island at 

 the Westminster end of the water, under the 

 charge of one Allen who lived thereon for many 

 years with his wife, in extreme comfort and 

 enjoyment, and I have reason to believe that I 

 now, in my own person, represent the Ornitho- 

 logical Society, and am duly proud of my solitary 

 grandeur, and all for one sovereign ! ' 



To the same. 



' Bournemouth : November 6, 1888. 



1 Shortly before leaving Lilford I received 

 two young Pelicanus crispus 1 from my friend 



1 Crested Pelican. 



