126 LORD LILFORD 



of Northamptonshire birds on his own account, 

 and might on two subsequent occasions have 

 easily killed our feathered friend, he abstained 

 from doing so at my earnest request. I feel 

 no doubt about your being quite right about 

 the interbreeding of the Shag and Cormorant. 

 I have just received notice from Hanover 

 Square of the safe arrival at the Gardens of six 

 snakes from Southern Spain presented by me, 

 and I have a most delightful letter written in 

 Spanish by their captor, describing the difficul- 

 ties of capture and shipment.' 



To the same. 



' Lilford : October 24, 1883. 



' I received yesterday from Liverpool the 

 first living specimen of Falco Sacer l which I 

 have had for some time ; it is a fine female in 

 very fair plumage. Cross, the Liverpool dealer 

 who sent me this bird, declares that it came 

 from Africa, a term which in the mouths of the 

 dealers I have found generally to mean the 

 Barbary coast, where, as far as my experience 

 goes, the Saker is exceedingly rare. The farthest 



1 Saker. 



