220 The Natural History 



thighs seem to be furnished with. At best one should 

 expect it to be but a bad walker : but what adds to the 

 wonder is that it has no back toe. Now without that 

 steady prop to support its steps it must be liable, in 

 speculation, to perpetual vacillations, and seldom able to 

 preserve the true centre of gravity. 



The old name oihinuvitopus is taken from Pliny; and, 

 by an awkward metaphor, implies that the legs are as 

 slender and pliant as if cut out of a thong of leather. 

 Neither Willughby nor Ray, in all their curious researches 

 either at home or abroad, ever saw this bird. Mr. 

 Pennant never met with it in all Great Britain, but 

 observed it often in the cabinets of the curious at Paris. 

 Ilasselquist says that it migrates to Egypt in the autumn : 

 and a most accurate observer of nature has assured me 

 that he has found it on the banks of the streams in 

 Andalusia. 



Our writers record it to have been found only twice in 

 Great Britain. From all these relations it plainly appears 

 that these long legged plovers are birds of South Europe, 

 and rarely visit our island ; and when they do are wan- 

 derers and stragglers, and impelled to make so distant 

 and northern an excursion from motives or accidents for 

 which we are not able to account. One thing may fairly 

 be deduced, that these birds come over to us from the 

 continent, since nobody can suppose that a species not 

 noticed once in an age, and of such a remarkable make, 

 can constantly breed unobserved in this kingdom. 



LETTER L 



TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON 



Seiborne, April 21, 1780. 



Dear Sir, 



The old Sussex tortoise, that I have mentioned to you 

 so often, is become my property. I dug it out of its 

 winter dormitoi;y in March last, when it was enough 



