CHARLES WATERTON, ESQ. XXXV 



chimney tops. "Would but our country gentle- 

 men put a stop to the indiscriminate slaughter of 

 birds by their ruthless gamekeepers, we should 

 not have to visit Holland in order to see the 

 true habits of the stork, nor roam through Ger- 

 many to enjoy the soaring of the kite, — a bird 

 once very common in this part of Yorkshire, 

 but now a total stranger to it. 



There is a bird-merchant in Rotterdam (I 

 have forgotten his name, but the attentive 

 Monsieur Walter, of the Hotel des Pays Bas 

 can give it) who has always a good collection 

 of living water-fowl on hand for sale. He is 

 moderate in his charges, and he appeared to 

 me to have a very fair practical knowledge of 

 the economy of those birds in which he dealt. 

 But he staggered me not a little (and I saw he 

 read my astonishment in my face) when he 

 informed me that the widgeon makes its nest in 

 Holland. He was positive. So I thought it 

 would be wrong in me to refuse assent to his 

 asseveration, as I was ignorant of the locality 

 where he had made this important discovery. 

 From him I purchased the unfortunate ducks 



and geese mentioned in my history of the 



b 2 



