OF SELBORNE. 179 
meeting with a harsh reception, and blustering, 
cold northeast winds, they immediately withdrew, 
absconding for several days till the weather gave 
them better encouragement. 
LETTER XIII. 
April 12, 1772. 
Dear Srr,—Wulite | was in Sussex last autumn, 
my residence was at the village near Lewes, from 
whence I had formerly the pleasure of writing to 
you. On the lst of November I remarked that.the 
old Torroisr, formerly mentioned, began first te 
dig the ground in order to the forming ofits hyber- 
naculum, which it had fixed on just beside a great 
tuft of hepaticas. It scrapes out the ground with 
its fore feet, and throws it up over its back with its 
hind; but the motion of its legs is ridiculously slow, 
little exceeding the hourhand of a clock. Nothing 
can be more assiduous than this creature, night and 
day, in scooping the earth, and forcing its great 
body into the cavity ; but, as the noons of that sea- 
son proved unusually warm and sunny, it was con- 
tinually interrupted and called forth by the heat in 
the middle of the day ; and though I continued there 
