C 834 ] 
could procure. I feceived it from the very curious 
and worthy Henry Seymer, Efq; of Handford, near 
Blandford, Dorfetfhire, with his letter, dated April p, 
1760: wherein he fays, “ I have taken the fil'd: 
“ lafe opportunity of fending the two birds. The 
“ large one [the fubjed lying before the Society], I 
cc verily believe, is an accidental crols, as we fporti- 
“ men term it, between a pheafant and turkey. 
« You are to be told, that, when the bird was juft 
“ killed, the fkin round the eyes was of a pale red- 
« lead colour, and the eves like a turkey’s. As I live 
« near the wood where they were found, I took 
« great pains to get another of them, but was never 
« lb lucky as to find one. There were three at firft, 
« all of which, I believe, are now deftroyed. You 
“ are heartily welcome to it ; but I beg the favour of a 
« painting of it by your own hand ; this I fhould 
“ efteem in the higheft degree. I am fenfible it re- 
« quires a nice hand to copy the feathers of the back 
« and tail 3 but your judgment and experience have 
« long rendered things, extremely difficult to others, 
“ eafy to you.” 
In the fame letter, Mr. Seymer informs me, that 
the bird was (hot in Odober laft, and he fuppofes it 
to be the produdion of the fpring or fummer imme- 
diately preceding, it having not, as he thinks, molted 
off all its firft or chicken feathers, as they are called ; 
and that it would have required a fomewhat different 
defcription, had it been older. My defcription of it, 
in its prefent ftate, is as follows. 
It is of a middle fize between a pheafant and a 
turkey-hen, and fhaped pretty much like a turkey > 
the bill, legs, and feet, are black, and fhaped like a 
turkey’s j 
