262 THE RUMPLESS FOWL. 



pounce upon the luckless mouse ; and now inspect- 

 ing the deserted nests of crows and magpies, in 

 order to secure a commodious retreat, wherein to 

 perform their approaching incubation. Allowing, 

 on an average, four young ones to the nest, there 

 must have been bred here ninety-six windhover 

 hawks last summer : add the parent birds, and we 

 shall have, in all, one hundred and forty-four. 

 Scarcely five of these birds were seen here from 

 Michaelmas to the latter end of January. 



The periodical disappearance of the windhover 

 from its breeding-place might give rise to much 

 ornithological enquiry ; but I suspect that, when 

 every circumstance shall have been duly weighed, 

 we shall still be in the dark with regard to the true 

 cause of its departure. The want of food cannot 

 be supposed to force it away ; for food the most 

 congenial to its appetite is found here in great 

 abundance at the very time when it deserts us. 

 Neither can supposed inclemency of weather be 

 alleged in support of its migration, as the temper- 

 ature of England is remarkably mild long after the 

 sun has descended into the southern hemisphere. 



THE RUMPLESS FOWL. 



Pauca meo gallo. Virgil. 



SOME time ago, I introduced this bird to the readers 

 of Mr. Loudon's Magazine, in order to show them, 

 that the feathers of birds are just as brilliant, and 



