12 LETTERS TO HIS BROTHER 



you have hoard the sedge-bird, which for variety of notes, and 

 swift transitions from the song of one bird to that of another 

 is, I think, a wonderful fellow ; and was it not for the 

 hurrying manner, would be an elegant warbler. It is plain 

 Mr. Lever knows nothing of the grasshopper-lark ; if he did 

 he could not confound it with the sedge-bird, to which it bears 

 not the least resemblance, either in person, song, or manner 

 of life. Did the shivering wren make its noise in the tops of 

 tall trees ? Mr. Lever is, I perceive, a very adroit natural 

 naturalist ; it is therefore pity he does not allow himself the 

 advantage of books, and call in the assistance of system. 



The sedge-bird sings all night when it is awake; therefore 

 when you throw stones or dirt into the bushes you rouse it 

 from its slumbers, and set it to work again. 



You will be very busy, no doubt, in your repairs ; and will 

 meet, I hope, with no disappointments. I thought a fortnight 

 ago that I was going to build a chamber full speed. I had 

 bespoke a mason in the room of Long, who was pre-engaged ; 

 and Jack was to have been comptroller general of my majesty's 

 works ; but just as I was going to lay in all materials my 

 mason sent me word he had got another job, and could not 

 do mine 'til after harvest. 



For these three days past we have had the king at Ports- 

 mouth ; and heard continual firing, which shook my house. 

 My st. foin is down ; but the w T eather is unsettled. Mr. 

 Lever has procured the canne petiere * in Lancashire ; Mr. 

 Pennant mentions one shot in Cornwall. Some boys killed 

 lately at Oakhanger-ponds some flappers or young wild-ducks; 

 among the rest they took some young teals f alive ; one I saw, 

 and turned into James Knight's ponds. Till now I never 

 knew that teals bred in England. So you see information 

 crowds in every day. 



Was not the sibilous bird that you heard the real grass- 

 hopper-lark ? did it haunt the tops of the tallest trees, or low 

 bush-hedges ? did it sing by night or by day ? Many children 

 continue to die of the measles, amongst the rest the youngest 



* [Otis tetrax, Liuu.— T. B.] 

 t [Anns crecra. — T. B.] 



