Natural Historic in Wales, 439 



ordinary tourists, have chosen the present inclement season for their jour- 

 ney, and air and water as their vehicles. They have taken aquatic excur- 

 sions every day since their arrival ; and, indeed, live on the lakes, where their 

 stately company, oaring their white barges on the bosom of the dark blue 

 waters, is much admii'ed : their noble and graceful appearance indicate high 

 rank in their station. Their title is ^'nas ; and they belong to the Caystrian 

 family of swans, a wild horde, who possess large territories in the northern 

 parts of Asia, Europe, and America. The present party consists of about 

 30 individuals, against whom, I am sorry to say, war has been unjustly 

 waged, and some of them have lost their harmless lives. ' One of them, 

 which came into my possession, measured 5 ft. in length, 7 ft. in breadth, 

 and weighed 19 lbs. The peculiarity of formation of the windpipe in the 

 wild swan has been described by more competent writers, therefore I shall 

 not touch upon it. At a future time, I may, perhaps, furnish you with 

 notices of several other visitors of these lakes, who deserve ornithological 

 attention from the unfrequency of their wanderings to our inland parts, if 

 you think them worthy of a place in your Magazine. I am, Sir, &c. — 

 Philagros. E. L.y Jan. 31. 



Native Gold. — Casualties, if attended to, might often impart important 

 hints ; and these, followed up, conduct to some valuable end. The late Mr. 

 Ireton of Ireton Hall, in Cumberland, informed me, that, in carving a pullet 

 which had been reared on his farm, he discovered a pallet of native gold in 

 contact with the breast-bone : it was nearly half an inch square ; and the pro- 

 bability is, that the fowl had picked it up from the bed of a rivulet which 

 flowed through part of his estate. — J. Murray. Carmarthen^ April 2, 



Hampshire. 



A fine Leopard, a striped Hycena (a superb animal), and several antelopes, 

 have been just landed here from the Wolf brig, a present from the Emperor 

 of Morocco to His Majesty. Owing to the ship being nearly wrecked at 

 the back of the Isle of Wight, the animals were nearly destroyed : the ante- 

 lopes were so weak, that the sailors brought them ashore in their arms ; the 

 leopard was perfectly tame, being at large on board ship. — U. S. Ports- 

 mouth. March 18. 



Art. IV. Natural History in Wales* 



Longevity of Men and Women. — Sir, I have sent you the following cases 

 of very advanced age, which have occurred, since the commencement of the 

 present year, in the principality. I should suppose that they are not equalled 

 in any part of the British Isles ; for the deaths here noticed average about 

 1 out of 20 : at the same time, it must be remembered that the country is 

 not very populous ; and these deaths mostly occurred in the northern divi- 

 sion, which is very remarkable for salubrity : — Catherine Hughes of Corwen, 

 85 ; William Pritchard, Anglesey, 92 ; SirW. C. De Crespigny, Blaenpadernyn, 

 97 J Rev. E. Herbert, Caernarvonshire, 83 ; William Rowland, Caernarvon- 

 shire, 88 -y Robert Owen, Caernarvonshire, 9 1 j John Jones, Brecknock, 92 ; 

 Dorothy Jones, Denbigh, 104 j Hugh Rowlands, Esq., Caernarvon, 80; 

 Jane Hughes, Beaumaris, 87 ; Arabella Jones, Anglesea, 82 ; Mary Jones, 

 Glamorganshire, 97. These are all well authenticated, as I copied them 

 from the provincial Welsh papers as they severally appeared. In looking 

 over the list of deaths in the principality which occurred within the present 

 quarter, and are noticed in the Cambrian quarterly, I find that, out of 40, 

 there were 3 above 20, 6 above 30, 2 above 40, 7 above 50, 3 above 60, 

 8 above 70, 6 above 80, 4 above 90, and 1 above 100 : giving to each of the 

 40 an average of 64. As the study of man is the most noble branch of 

 natural history, it would be very desirable if your correspondents would 



