552 THE BIRDS OF YORKSHIRE. 



" Foston, Cross Keys, March ig, 1864. 



" Rev. Sir, Father wishes me to give you all the par- 

 ticulars in his power respecting the number of Bustards killed 

 by my grandfather at one shot. It being so long a time since, 

 he is not able to give you a correct account of all the particulars 

 you name in your letter ; he is not positive (in) what year 

 (it happened), but he thinks it was in 1808, and that it was in 

 the month of March. He cannot remember how many 

 Bustards there were at the time grandfather fired ; he thinks 

 seven fell to the gun and four (were) got afterwards which 

 were wounded. He does not know the weight of the gun 

 (used), but it was more than the strongest man could hold 

 without a rest. He cannot say how much powder or shot 

 was used in the charge, neither the size of the shot, but 

 grandfather generally used No. 3. He does not know the 

 distance he was from the birds, but thinks about thirty 

 yards. The horse was a big bay coaching mare properly 

 trained as a stalking horse ; his (own) coat was generally 

 made of a bay horse-skin tanned with the hair on. It was 

 near Borrow where they were killed, between Langtoft and 

 Sledmere ; it was before the Wolds was enclosed, and before 

 it was plowed out. Grandfather lived with Wm. Thos. St. 

 Quintin, Esq., at the time. He believes six Bustards were 

 given away in the neighbourhood and the rest sent to Mrs. 

 St. Quintin, then in London. It being so long a time since, 

 and father being only twelve or thirteen years old, he is not 

 able to give you a correcter account. I am, Rev. Sir, your 

 obedient humble servant, Robert Agars. 



" To the Rev. R. B. Cooke." 



Following upon this interesting information, which was 

 not in the possession of Mr. W. Eagle Clarke when writing 

 the bird portion of his and Mr. Roebuck's " Handbook of 

 Yorkshire Vertebrata," is a short communication from Mr. 

 St. Quintin (Field, 27th March 1897), as follows : 



" May I correct a trifling inaccuracy which has crept into 

 Mr. Harting's letter in the Field of the 6th inst, on the subject 

 of a remarkable shot at Bustards in East Yorkshire about 



