CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 101 



Mr. Jessop to Mr. Ray. 



Sir, — I received both yours, and am very glad to hear 

 of your design of reviewing Mr. Willughby's Collections ; 

 and I shall give what assistance I can in the business 

 concerning Hawks. In the mean time you may peruse 

 Latham's ' Falconry,' whose descriptions are true, though 

 not perhaps so full as you may expect. There are, be- 

 sides these that are mentioned in the common books, a 

 Boccarell and a Boccaret, the which, although I have 

 often seen, yet I did not observe them so wxll as to be 

 able to describe them exactly. They are the names of 

 the male and female. A Boccarell I once kept myself, 

 which was much larger than either the Lanner or Falcon ; 

 and yet the common tradition is, that they are a bastard 

 Hawk, bred betwixt a Lanner and a Falcon ; how true I 

 know not. 



March 14, —72. 



Mr. Jessop's Paper. 

 My Man William's loay of making Hard Soap. 



Take wood-ashes, and ashes of nettles or thistles (for 

 fern-ashes make the soap soft), as much as you please ; 

 put unto them a third part of lime ; make a hole in the 

 ashes, and lay the lime in the middle of the ashes, and 

 quench it with water or small ley ; then cover it with the 

 ashes that he round it close, so let it lie for half a quarter 

 of an horn, or thereabouts, till you think the lime be 

 fallen. With a shovel mix them well together, having 

 your fat, or tub, ready, for fear they lose their virtue. 

 Let your fat, or tub, have a hole in the bottom ; cover it 

 with a slate-stone, or board, laid upon other little stones, 

 which may keep it about an inch from the bottom of the 

 tub ; and over the slate-stone, or board, lay straw to 



