75 
of June, in the year 1805, my friend Mr. 
Vaughan informed me, that his servant had 
found the nest of a Hen-harrier in some 
furze, which contained three young and an 
addled egg; at this time the infant birds 
were very small, and only covered with white 
down: it was therefore determined to take 
them as soon as we deemed them sufficiently 
large to be brought up by hand : when that 
period arrived, the servant was desired to 
shoot one, and if possible both of the old 
birds, previously to his bearing away what 
was considered a prize of no small value. 
" On the return of the man with the young, 
he brought with him also the Hen-harrier, 
which he assured us he had (under conceal- 
ment in the furze) shot in the act of drop- 
ping a thrush into the nest, while the female 
(as he seemed to consider the other, and 
which he described to be a brown Hawk) 
was covering the young. He afterwards 
shot at and wounded the female, but could 
not obtain her. 
" Strong as this person's evidence was in 
our minds, yet it conveyed no more to the 
public mind than what had been so repeat- 
k 2 
