FEBRUARY. 25 



Those of us of the younger generation of Naturalists can have no 

 better treat than to hold converse with a practical Naturalist of the old 

 school. I have had such a treat to-day. I called on Mr. Spary, of 

 St. Albans, the Taxidermist who is setting up the Buzzard mentioned in 

 this diary under date of February 2nd. The bird, om being weighed 

 by Mr. Spary, turned the scale at two ounces short of two pounds, and 

 was as fat as butter. Mr. Spary remarked that the bird had been 

 feasting in some rich Game preserves. It is the first Buzzard he has 

 had through his hands in the flesh. He told me that all the Hawks 

 and Owls he had been brought into contact with were, on dissection, 

 not at all fat, and that the case of the Buzzard under notice was a 

 singular exception. 



Chatting with such a delightful man, how the time flies 1 Of the 

 many birds seen and talked about several are worth recording here- 

 I saw a buff cinnamon Blackbird, shot by Mr. Spary himself, and a 

 similar coloured Hedge Sparrow. Two or three Kingfishers and a 

 Greenfinch freshly killed were on view, as also a black Skylark, with a 

 whitish patch underneath, taken from the nest and reared by hand, 

 now stuffed. Other birds I saw were a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 

 Nuthatch, female Golden Pheasant, Cuckoo, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, 

 Little Owl, two or three Dippers, &c. 



Of all his specimens Mr. Spary had something interesting to 

 narrate. He remembers the time when a nest of young Quails were 

 disturbed by the mowers not 500 yards from my house, but alas, 

 civilisation has driven the birds from their haunts, and the particular 

 field where this nest was found is now a sports ground. Yet 

 hereabouts many shrubs are planted, and these afford splendid cover 

 for the smaller birds to nest in. 



Mr. Spary described to me the time when the Peregrine Falcon 

 and the Merlin were common in the County. From his garden he 

 informed me he has seen a pair of Carrion Crows in St. Peter's 

 Churchyard, also the Red Backed Shrike, the Cuckoo, and a flock of 

 a hundred or more Lesser Redpolls. Last Autumn he saw some 

 thousands of Linnets near the Camp Schools, and Hawfinches are 

 often to be seen at the back of his house. Seven of these birds were 

 shot not long since by Mr. Watson, florist, of St. Albans, 

 when feeding on a Quickset Hedge in his plantations, My 

 last records are that a Quail was brought to Mr. Spary by 

 a policeman in May of last year. It was found outside the 

 Post Office, evidently having come in contact with the telegraph 

 wires. An Egyptian Goose was also brought to Mr. Spary 



