258 NATURAL HISTORY 



sale in vast quantities to Brighthelmstone and Tun- 

 bridge ; and appear at the tables of all the gentry that 

 entertain with any degree of elegance. About Michael- 

 mas they retire, and are seen no more till March. 

 Though these birds are, when in season, in great plenty 

 on the South downs round Lewes, yet at East-Bourn, 

 which is the eastern extremity of those downs, they 

 abound much more. One thing is very remarkable 

 that though in the height of the season so many hun- 

 dreds of dozens are taken, yet they never are seen to 

 flock ; and it is a rare thing to see more than three or 

 four at a time : so that there must be a perpetual flitting 

 and constant progressive succession. It does not ap- 

 pear that any wheatears are taken to the westward of 

 Hough ton Bridge, which stands on the river Arun 3 . 



I did not fail to look particularly after my new mi- 

 gration of ring-ousels ; and to take notice whether they 

 continued on the downs to this season of the year ; as 

 I had formerly remarked them in the month of October 

 all the way from Chichester to Lewes wherever there 

 were any shrubs and covert: but not one bird of this 

 sort came within my observation. I only saw a few 

 larks and whinchats, some rooks, and several kites and 

 buzzards. 



About Midsummer a flight of crossbills comes to the 

 pine-groves about this house, but never makes any long 

 stay. 



The old tortoise, that I have mentioned in a former 

 letter, still continues in this garden ; and retired under 

 ground about the 20th of November, and came out 

 again for one day on the 30th : it lies now buried in a 

 wet swampy border under a wall facing to the south, 

 and is enveloped at present in mud and mire ! 



Here is a large rookery round this house, the inha- 



3 Mr. White says, that no wheatears are taken to the westward of 

 Houghton Bridge, on the river Arun ; it appears, however, this is not the 

 case. See the note to Mrs. Charlotte Smith's Poems, 1807, p. 168. 



MlTFORD. 



