244 THE GULL. 



migratory kind, comes annually to certain pooles 

 in the estate of the right worshipfull Sir Charles 

 Skrymsher, knight, to build and breed, and to no 

 other estate in or near the county, but of this family, 

 to which they have belonged ultra hominum memo- 

 riam, and never moved from it, though they have 

 changed their station often. They anciently came 

 to an old Pewit poole, about half a mile S. W. of 

 Norbury Church, but it being their strange quality 

 (as the whole family will tell yow, to whom I referr 

 the reader for the following account) to be disturbed 

 and remove upon the death of the head of it, as 

 they did within memory, upon the death of James 

 Skrymsher, Esq., to Offley Moss, near Woods- Eves, 

 which Moss, though containing two gentleman's 

 land, yet (which is very remarkable) the Pewits 

 did discern betwixt the one and the other> and build 

 only on the land of the next heir, John Skrymsher, 

 Esq., so wholly are they addicted to this family. 



"At which Moss they continued about three years, 

 and then removed to the old Pewit poole again, 

 where they continued to the death of the said John 

 Skrymsher, Esq., which happening on the eve to 

 our Lady -day, the very time when they are laying 

 their eggs; yet so concerned were they at this gen- 

 tleman's death, that, notwithstanding this tye of the 

 law of nature, which has been ever held to be uni- 

 versal and perpetual, they left their nest and eggs ; 

 and though they made some attempts of laying 

 again at Offley Moss, yet they were still so disturbed, 

 that they bred not at all that year. 



" The next year after they went to Aqualat, to 

 another gentleman's estate, of the same family, 



