﻿466 WAR B L E R. 



changing to pure white at the vent : the breaft tinged with red ; 

 the legs black. 

 Female. The female has the mark over the eyes rather obfcure ; and 



inftead of the black mark under it, a patch of brown : the tail 

 is not fo deeply marked with white. 

 Place and This bird vifits England annually in the middle of March, and 



leaves us in September. The females come firft, about a fort- 

 night before the males? they keep coming till the middle of 

 May. In fome parts of England are in vaft plenty ,• and are much 

 efteemed. About Eaflboiirn, in Suffex, they are taken in fhares- 

 made of horfe-hair, placed beneath a long turf: being very 

 timid birds, the motion of a cloud, or the appearance of an- 

 Hawk, will drive them for fhelter into thefe traps, and fo they 

 are taken. The numbers annually enfnared in that diftricl: alone 

 amount to about 1,840 dozen, which ufually fell at fix pence 

 per dozen *. Quantities of thefe are eaten on the fpot by the 

 neighbouring inhabitants ; others are picked, and fent up- to the 

 Loudon poulterers ; and many are potted, being as much efteemed 

 in England as the Ortolan on the continent. 



Tlvir food is infeclrs only, though in rainy fummers feed much 

 on earth-worms f, whence they are fatteft in fuch feafons J. 



This fpecies is met with in moft parts of Europe, even as far 

 as Greenland; and has alfo been fent to England from the Eajl 

 Indies, fpecimens of which I have feen §. 



* Br. Zool. 



f I have feen them follow the plough for the fake of worms. 



% Pennant fays, that the reafon why they are fo plenty about Eajlbourn is, be- 

 caufe a certain fly abounds in. the adjacent hills, which feeds on the Wild 

 Thyme. 



§ See Edwards's Preface, p. 12» 



It 



