6o 



THE EARLY DAYS OF 



THE GREAT GREY-STRIKE. 



which dangled from its 

 claw, and I wrote a post- 

 card in Latin to Mr. 

 Fowler, announcing that 

 it could be no other than 

 the Great Grey - Strike. 

 This brought my corres- 

 pondent down from Oxford, 

 and after diligent search 

 he found the bird, and 

 wrote to the following 

 effect, though, of course, 

 in much more elegant and 

 polished language. 



^' Rara avis quam vidisti videlicet Lanius excubitor est.'' 



During the time I was at school, an unique specimen of the 

 Andalusian Quail was shot at Cornwell, about a mile from here, and 

 as it was pronounced to be a highly interesting addition to the 

 list of British birds, Yarrell and Morris figured it. But a few da3's 

 back, whilst looking over more recent books on Ornithology in 

 Mr. Fowler's house, I find there is a proposal to expunge it from 

 the list. I could not quite make out the reason why, but it appeared 

 that some doubt exists as to the bird having been a genuine wild 

 one. I knew Webb, the keeper who shot it, very well, and he 

 pointed out to me the place where it flew up, whilst the Cornwell 

 coachman, who ended his days in a cottage opposite my house, told 

 me that he remembered taking it from the keeper's bag directly it 

 was brought home. 



Not long ago Mr. Penyston, the present owner of the estate 

 where the quail was shot, kindly invited me to see another bird 

 which had been picked up in a moribund condition in his park. 

 He said a naturalist at Cheltenham called it a Dusky Petrel. As 

 this also would have been almost an unique English specimen^ 



