234 The Natural History 



the southern counties. In winter 1767 one was killed in 

 the neighbouring parish of Faringdon, and sent by me to 

 Mr. Pennant into North Wales.^ Since that time I have 

 met with none till now. The specimen measured above 

 was in fine preservation, and not injured by the shot : it 

 measured forty-two inches from wing to wing, and twenty- 

 one from beak to tail, and weighed two pounds and an 

 half standing weight. This species is very robust, and 

 wonderfully formed for rapine : its breast was plump and 

 muscular ; its thighs long, thick, and brawny ; and its 

 legs remarkably short and well set : the feet were armed 

 with most formidable, sharp, long talons : the eyelids and 

 cere of the bill were yellow ; but the irides of the eyes 

 dusky ; the beak was thick and hooked, and of a dark 

 colour, and had a jagged process near the end of the upper 

 mandible on each side : its tail, or train, was short in 

 proportion to the bulk of its body : yet the wings, when 

 closed, did not extend to the end of the train. From its 

 large and fair proportions it might be supposed to have 

 been a female ; but I was not permitted to cut open the 

 specimen. For one of the birds of prey, which are 

 usually lean, this was in high case : in its craw were many 

 barley-corns, which probably came from the crop of the 

 wood-pigeon, on which it was feeding when shot : for 

 voracious birds do not eat grain ; but when devouring 

 their quarry, with undistinguishing vehemence swallow 

 bones and feathers, and all matters, indiscriminately. 

 This falcon was probably driven from the mountains of 

 North Wales or Scotland, where they are known to breed, 

 by rigorous weather and deep snows that had lately fallen. 



I am, etc. 



LETTER LVIII 



TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON 



My near neighbour, a young gendeman in the service of 

 the East-India Company, has brought home a dog and a 



* See my tenth and eleventh letter to that gentleman. 



