STONE CURLEW. 69 



new instance of the wisdom of God in the crea- 

 tion. 



As yet I am not quite done with my history of 

 the cedicnemus, or stone curlew ; for I shall desire 

 a gentleman in Sussex (near whose house these 

 birds congregate in vast flocks in the autumn) to 

 observe nicely when they leave him, (if they do 

 leave him,) and when they return again in the 

 spring : I was with this gentleman lately, and saw 

 several single birds. 



XXL 



WITH regard to the cedicnemus, or stone curlew, 

 I intend to write very soon to my friend near 

 Chichester, in whose neighbourhood these birds 

 seem most to abound ; and shall urge him to take 

 particular notice when they begin to congregate, 

 and afterward to watch them most narrowly 

 whether they do not withdraw themselves during 

 the dead of the winter. When I have obtained 

 information with respect to this circumstance, I 

 shall have finished my history of the stone curlew, 

 which I hope will prove to your satisfaction, as it 

 will be, I trust, very near the truth. This gen- 

 tleman, as he occupies a large farm of his own, 

 and is abroad early and late, will be a very pro- 

 per spy upon the motions of these birds ; and 

 besides, as I have prevailed on him to buy the 

 Naturalist's Journal, (with which he is much 

 delighted,) I shall expect that he will be very 

 exact in his dates. It is very extraordinary, as 

 you observe, that a bird so common with us should 

 never straggle to you 1 . 



1 This species is extremely local, being scarcely found out 

 of Hampshire, Norfolk, and one or two of the eastern coun- 

 ties of England W. J. 



