OF SELBORNE. 143 



When I was last in town our friend Mr. 

 Barrino'toii most oblii^inolv carried me to 

 see many curious sights. As you w^ere then 

 wTiting to him about horns, he carried me 

 to see many strange and wonderful speci- 

 mens. There is, I remember, at Lord PeiU' 

 broke s, at Wilton, an horn-room furnished 

 with more than thirty different pairs : but 

 I have not seen that house lately. 



Mr. Barrington showed me many asto- 

 nishing collections of stuffed and living birds 

 from all quarters of the world. After I had 

 studied over the latter for a time, I re- 

 marked that every species almost that came 

 from distant regions, such as South America, 

 the coast of Guinea, &c. were thick-billed 

 birds of the loxia and fringilla genera ; 

 and no motacillce or muscicapce, were to be 

 met with. When T came to consider, the 

 reason was obvious enough ; for the hard- 

 billed birds subsist on seeds which are 

 easily carried on board, while the soft- 

 billed birds, w^hich are supported by worms 

 and insects, or, what is a succcdaneinn for 

 themj fresh raw meat, can meet with neither 



