less] Back at Benibridge. 83 



British soil. If I remember rightly the Little Bustard occurs not very 

 uncommonly about the south-west corner of England during the winter, 

 and if he can fly so far, why should not his relative also favour us now 

 and then ? 



Regarding the skulls of the Irish Hare and the Eagles' eggs, you 

 will see that your letter came too late for me to attend to your request 

 this year, but as I shall probably be back again at Castle Taylor before 

 long, I will make a point to look after a pair. But as to Eagles, I fear 

 the localities are too far away from Castle Taylor for me to be able to 

 look after them on the spot ; and the worst of it is that the wholesale 

 poisonings of vermin that have lately been practised in Connemara have 

 nearly extirpated the birds there. Still I will do what I can to make 

 inquiries next year. 



The Hare is now very nearly proved to be identical with the 

 " Scandinavian," and I am very glad to think that such is the case, as 

 it seemed highly improbable that a large mammal like that should be 

 found peculiar to Ireland ; its position becomes very interesting now, as 

 we shall have to explain his passage from Scandinavia into Ireland 

 without leaving any of his race in Scotland. There is a specimen of the 

 real Scandinavian H. in Zoological Gardens. 



We stayed about a couple of months in Cheltenham, and a 

 wofully dull place I found it too, with its fashionable balls and hot 

 dusty streets ; a watering-place is scarcely likely to be a favourite with 

 anyone fond of Natural History and the country. We came down to 

 Ryde about the end of May, and since then there has been such work, 

 house-hunting and driving about, that you are almost the first corre- 

 spondent I have found time to write to. I went up to London too on 

 the 3rd of June, and was admitted to the Linnaean Society. I hope you 

 will soon join when you have done with the " Ray." 



This is a pleasant, quiet, sea-side village, with a small harbour, and 

 a certain extent of mud flats, rather attractive to the Sandpiper tribe, 

 so that, with a smrJl sailing boat and a heavy single gun, I have rather 

 good fun occasionally ; and I hope that some day, when we are a little 

 more settled, you may be prevailed upon to pay us a visit. September is 

 of course the best month for Waders ; but in the winter Loon-shooting, 

 varied with a look after Brent Geese, is rather amusing too. I have 

 just made acquaintance with C A. Bury, the ornithologist, who is now 

 living at Sandown within a walk of this, and I like him extremely. He 

 is a fine frank manly fellow, and with a splendid eye, full of life and 

 fun. ... I cannot give you any news in the bird-way, since 1 have 

 scarcely entered a wood yet ; but I would wish to call your prompt 

 attention to the " fact" (?) of all birds' eggs this year being curiously 

 varied from the ordinary colour. Should your attention not have been 

 called to this before, pray look out, as I believe there is some truth in 

 this curious story ; at least, when I asked Bury he pulled out his 

 drawers, and found some of this year's taking fully confirmed the 

 theory. 



As we have a seven years' lease of our present house, I can hardly 



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