OF SELBORNE. 



143 



When I was last in town our friend Mr. 

 Barrington most obligingly carried me to 

 see many curious sights. As you were then 

 writing to him about horns, he carried me 

 to see many strange and wonderful speci- 

 mens. There is, I remember, at Lord Pent' 

 broken, at Wilton, an horn-room furnished 

 with more than thirty different pairs : but 

 I have not seen that house lately. 



Mr. Barrington showed me many asto- 

 nishing collections of stuffed and living birds 

 from all quarters of the world. After I had 

 studied over the latter for a time, I re- 

 marked that every species almost that came 

 from distant regions, such as South America, 

 the coast of Guinea, &c. were thick-billed 

 birds of the loxia and fringilla genera ; 

 and no motacillcB or muscicapce, were to be 

 met with. When T came to consider, the 

 reason was obvious enough ; for the hard- 

 billed birds subsist on seeds which are 

 easily carried on board, while the soft- 

 billed birds, which are supported by worms 

 and insects, or, what is a succedaneiim for 

 them, fresh raw meat, can meet with neither 



