50 The Natural History of Se I borne 



The most unusual birds I ever observed in these parts 

 were a pair of hoopoes (upupa), 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 grossbeaks (loxia coccothraustes) appeared some years 

 ago in my fields, in the winter; one of which I shot. Since 

 that, now and then, one is occasionally seen in the same dead 

 season. 



A crossbill (loxia curvirostra) was killed last year in this 

 neighbourhood. 



Our streams, which are small, and rise only at the end of 

 the village, yield nothing but the bull's head or miller's thumb 

 (gobius fluviatilis capitatus), the trout (trutta fluviatilis), the 

 eel (oftguiUa), the lampern (lampcetra parva et fluviatilis), and 

 the stickle-back (pisciculus aculeatus). 1 



We are twenty miles from the sea, and almost as many 

 from a great river, and therefore see but little of sea birds. 

 As to wild fowls, we have a few teams of ducks bred in the 

 moors [marshes] where the snipes breed; and multitudes of 

 widgeons and teals in hard weather frequent our lakes in the 

 forest. 



Having some acquaintance with a tame brown owl, I find 

 that it casts up the fur of mice and the feathers of birds in 

 pellets, after the manner of hawks ; when full, like a dog, it 

 hides what it cannot eat. 



The young of the barn-owl are not easily raised, as they want 

 a constant supply of fresh mice; whereas the young of the 

 brown owl will eat indiscriminately all that is brought ; snails, 

 rats, kittens, puppies, magpies, and any kind of carrion or offal. 



The house-martins have eggs still, and squab young. The 



1 I do not attempt to identify the particular species here intended, in the 

 Absence of any sufficient description. Ep, 



