484 
CHAPTER OP CRITICISM. 
Impropriety of wantonly shooting Birds. 
A fine specimen of the Wryneck ( Yunx tor quill a) was shot last week on a 
Pear-tree, and brought to me, for which I rewarded the bearer with anathemas; 
for I cannot bring my mind to thank the idle youngsters who thus wantonly 
destroy our beautiful summer visitants, merely because they are possessed of 
wings. I verily believe a winged seraph would be considered fair game by these 
mischievous gunners. 
Believe me, with all due apologies for thus intruding upon your attention, to be, 
Dear Sir, most respectfully, 
Your obedient servant, 
Stoke Ferry , Norfolk , Richard Pigott. 
Jane 15, 1838. 
[The remainder of Mr. Pigott’s interesting letter is alone postponed until we 
can insert the sketch which accompanies the portion omitted.—E d.]] 
CHAPTER OF CRITICISM. 
To the Editor of The Naturalist. 
My dear Sir, —I observe in your July number, that I am unfortunately the 
subject of animadversion to two of your correspondents; and although I should 
be sorry to see your pages open to any thing like useless controversy, I hope you 
will allow me a few words in reply to them. 
On the Formation of Pearl. 
To begin, then, with Mr. Levison, who has made some comments (p. 378) on 
a lecture I delivered before the members of the Doncaster Lyceum, and the first 
part of which you have published in your Journal (pp. 397—410). I do not 
recollect the nature of the complimentary remarks made by the Chairman that 
evening; but at anry rate, if what he said induced the audience to beKeve that I 
had been conducting any original or elaborate experiments on the formation of 
Pearl, it was very right of Mr. Levison to point out the error. Mr. Levison is 
also right in his letter in adding that on that subject I had not “ promulgated any 
thing new.” The theory that I advanced to account for these productions, was, 
I believe, that of Cuvier ; it is that of Carus ; I have heard it advanced by 
our own great comparative anatomist, Grant ; and it is the one adopted by the 
author of the able article “ Conchifere” in the Cyclopedia of Anatomy ; nor do 
