Vlll 



Gwinyar, June lltli, 1743." — In the Paper by Mr. Edmonds to 

 which he had referred, there was a description of the game of 

 hurling, from which it appeared to have been carried on in various 

 ways, but most frec^uently by parish against parish, and not seldom 

 with much violence ; as would be seen also from the following 

 account given by Carew in his Survey : — 



" The ball in this play may bee compared to an infernall spirit : for who- 

 goeuer catcheth it, fareth straightwayes like a madde man, strugling and 

 fighting with those that goe about to holde him : and no sooner is the ball 

 gone from him, but hee resigneth this fury to the next receyuer, and him- 

 selfe becommeth peaceable as before. I cannot well resolue, whether I should 

 more commend this game, for the manhood and exercise, or condemne it for 

 the boysterousnes and harmes which it begetteth : for as on the one side it 

 makes their bodies strong, hard, and nimble, and puts a courage into their 

 hearts, to meete an enemie in the face : so on the other part, it is accom- 

 panied with many dangers, some of which doe euer fall to the players share. 

 For proofe whereof, when the hurling is ended, you shall see them retj'ring 

 home, as from a pitched battaile, with bloody pates, bones broken, and out 

 of ioynt, and such bruses as serue to shorten their daies ; yet al is good play, 

 & neuer Attoiu-ney nor Crowner troubled for the matter." 



Dr. Barham read the follomng from a letter which had been 

 received from Mr. Augustus Smith : — 



" The two specimens of the Golden Oriole were taken in my garden last 

 year. The one is a male of the first year ; the other is a male of the second 

 year. I hope I may at some time be able to furnish you with a male of the 

 third year, when the bird attains its full brilliancy of plumage."—" The 

 Oriole invariably appears every Spring, at Scilly, and has been reported twice 

 as having been recently seen, as usual, in my gardens. It appears, however, 

 only as a migrant visitor, and has never been known to breed here." 



" The young Ostrich, Rhea Americana, is one of a brood of seven which 

 were hatched at Tresco, a few years back, but of which only two arrived at 

 full maturity. The specimen sent is about one-third grown, and may be 

 worth your acceptance, as having been hatched in this country." 



Dr. Barham added that Scilly was the only place in England 

 where Ostriches had bred, with exception perhaps of the Zoological 

 Gardens. But at Scilly they ranged freely over the country ; and, 

 as he remembered well, the old Ostrich was one of the first of 

 beings to welcome visitors to Tresco. — And, speaking of rare 

 creatures hatched only in this county, Dr. Barham dn-ected at- 

 tention to the Land Tortoise on the table, which was one of a 

 few that had first seen the light at Tregullow, in this County.* 



There was no specimen of the Golden Oriole from this country, 

 in the Institution Museum ; but it contained some foreign speci- 

 mens, one of which was in its maturity of plumage, which was of 

 a much more brilliant yelloAV than was seen on either of the 

 sjiecimens sent by Mr. Smith. 



* See Journal, No. I. 



