34 
THE NATURAL HISTORY 
[LETT. 
young wasps in their maggot state with the highest glee and 
delight. Any insect-eating bird would do the same. Birds of 
prey occasionally feed on insects : thus have I seen a tame kite 
picking up the female ants full of eggs with much satisfaction.] 
— Obseevations on Nature. 
LETTER XI. 
TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQ. 
It will not be without impatience that I shall wait for your 
tlioaghts with regard to the falco ; as to its weight, breadth, &c. 
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 a 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 T 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 disposed to breed in my outlet ; but were frighted 
and persecuted by idle boys, who would never let them be at 
rest. 
Three grosbeaks {Loxia coccotliraiistes) appeared some years ago 
in my fields, in the winter ; one of which I shot ; since that, now 
and then, one is occasionally seen in the same dead season. 
[Mr. B. shot a cock grosbeak which he had observed to haunt 
his garden for more than a fortnight. I began to accuse this 
bird of making sad havoc among the buds of the cherries, goose- 
berries, and wall- fruit of all the neighbouring orchards. Upon 
opening its crop or craw, however, no buds were to be seen, but 
a mass of kernels of the stones of fruits. Mr. B. observed that 
1 The irirles are hrrnvn in all the British falcons. 
