CHAP. vi.J SCAPED BIRD. 



his Lordship's spare stock of these birds. Three pairs 

 arrived here in strong health and beautiful plumage. 

 Audubon's remark is quite correct, that their feathers 

 are separated from the skin with the least touch ; and 

 the principals and assistants at Knowsley must be clever 

 fellows to secure the birds in the spacious Pheasantry of 

 which they have the unlimited range, and send them 

 forth with so little damage. In removing the birds from 

 the basket in which they arrived, one, a hen, slipped 

 from my grasp. She dashed off, and went through the 

 window of the room like a cricket ball, making the glass 

 rattle on the gravel outside. Instantly the whole house- 

 hold, not very numerous, ran out of doors, and were 

 gazing at the clouds with stare of various vacancy. I 

 soon discovered, what we might have guessed, that the 

 bird had fallen stunned on the ground ; so she might 

 have been retaken ; but the interval was too long. On 

 approaching her, she mounted to the top of a spruce fir, 

 sat there gazing around for five or six minutes (I would 

 not allow her to be shot for a specimen), and then darted 

 off like a bullet from a gun whither, would be agreeable 

 news. At this moment she is probably wandering un- 

 shot somewhere between Cringleford Hall and the moon. 

 If any sportsman in these realms is "unfortunate enough 

 to bring down a female Passenger Pigeon, I beg to in- 

 form him that she is no addition to the British Fauna, 

 but my lawful property ! 



An odd male, left in solitude by this elopement, was 

 placed in a cage by himself, with the intention of giving 

 him some common hen Pigeon as a companion ; but he 

 sulked and died in a few days, before his new associate 

 was introduced to him. A pair of the others were kept 

 for many months in a cage in my living-room. Though 



