OF SELBORNE 37 



appear as familiar to you as it is strange to me. Though 

 mutilated " qualem dices . . . anlehac fuisse, tales cum 

 sini reliquix ! " 



It haunted a marshy piece of ground in quest of wild- 

 ducks and snipes : but, when it was shot, had just knocked 

 down a rook, which it was tearing in pieces. I cannot 

 make it answer to any of our English hawks ; neither 

 could I find any like it at the curious exhibition of stuffed 

 birds in Spring-gardens. I found it nailed up at the end 

 of a barn, which is the countryman's museum. 



The parish I live in is a very abrupt, uneven country, 

 full of hills and woods, and therefore full of birds. 



LETTER XI 



Selborne, September 9, 1767. 



It will not be without impatience that I shall wait for 

 your thoughts with regard to the falco ; as to its weight, 

 breadth, etc., I wish I had set them down at the time ; 

 but, to the best of my remembrance, it weighed two 

 pounds and eight ounces, and measured, from wing to 

 wing, thirty-eight inches. Its cere and feet were yellow, 

 and the circle of its eyelids bright yellow. As it had 

 been killed some days, and the eyes were sunk, I could 

 make no good observation on the colour of the pupils 

 and the irides. 



The most unusual birds I ever observed in these parts 

 were a pair of hoopoes (upupa) which came several years 

 ago in the summer, and frequented an ornamented piece 

 of ground, which joins to my garden, for some weeks. 

 They used to march about in a stately manner, feeding 

 in the walks, many times in the day ; and seemed dis- 

 posed to breed in my outlet ; but were frightened and 



