226 ^^^ATURAL HISTORY 



( lox 'ia curvirosirce J have appeared this Sum- 

 mer in the pine-groves belonging to this 

 house ; the water-ousel is said to haunt the 

 mouth of the Lewes river, near Newhaven ; 

 and the Cornish chough builds, I know, 

 all along the chalky cliffs of the Sussex 

 shore. 



I v^as greatly pleased to see little parties 

 of ring-ousels (my newly-discovered mi- 

 graters) scattered, at intervals, all along the 

 Sussex downs from Chichester to Lewes, 

 Let them come from whence they will, it 

 looks very suspicious that they are can- 

 toned along the coast in order to pass the 

 channel when severe weather advances. 

 They visit us again in April, as it should 

 seem, in their return ; and are not to be 

 found in the dead of Winter. It is remark- 

 able that they are very tame, and seem to 

 have no manner of apprehensions of dan- 

 ger from a person with a gun. There are 

 bustards on the wide downs near Bright- 

 helmsione. No doubt you are acquainted 

 with the Sussex downs : the prospects and 

 rides round Lewes are most lovely 1 



