122 CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 



own, or borrowed of some author unknown to me. 

 Much also he hath about the Woodlark [Alauda arhorea\ , 

 which is either of his own observation, or, as the other, 

 taken out of some modern writer it hath not been my 

 hap to see. This author, I believe, hath good skill in 

 the feeding and ordering of singing-birds ; yet he makes 

 a fifth sort of Throstle, which he calls a Heath-throstle 

 [perhaps Tardus torquatus], which I never saw nor heard 

 of, nor any author besides that I know of mentions. I 

 pray read the history of it in him, p. 92, and tell me 

 whether any such bird be known to you. These birds, 

 he saith, in some countries are called Mevisses. I am 

 sure his fourth (Wood Song-throstle) is so called in 

 Essex, and I believe elsewhere. What he writes con- 

 cerning a hole left in the bottom of the nest, I remember 

 not to have observed in such nests of this bird as I have 

 found. 



I was somewhat offended at his manner of writing 

 concerning the Solitary Sparrow [?], as if it were a bird 

 breeding with us in England, advising which bird to 

 choose out of the nest to bring up, &c. ; all which his- 

 tory makes me suspect he transcribed what he hath out 

 of some writer, either Dutch, French, or Italian, that I 

 have never seen, both concerning this and other singing- 

 birds ; for the Solitary Sparrow is a bird that was never 

 seen, scarce heard of, in England, and but rare in Italy. 

 If he were so well acquainted with them, I wish he had 

 informed us where they breed. But enough of censure. 

 In the 'History of the Fero Islands' I find no more species 

 of birds than what I have abeady inserted in the Orni- 

 thology, partly of our own observation, and partly out of 

 Clusius, who had an account, and better descriptions of 

 them from Hoier than any be in this history ; only here is 

 more of the manner of climbing the rocks for taking 

 them. Borrichi's anatomy of an eagle I have not seen ; 

 but there is also a very particular anatomy of it in Aldro- 

 vand, which I thought not fit to insert, few readers being 

 willing to take the pains to read, much less consider. 



