OF SELBORNE. 301 
roof of any house, and therefore secure from the 
annoyances of water; and it is, moreover, clothed 
with beechen shrubs, which, being stunted and bit- 
ten by sheep, make the thickest covert imaginable, 
and are so entangled as to be impervious to the 
smallest spaniel ; besides, it is the nature of under- 
wood beech never to cast its leaf all the winter, so 
that, with the leaves on the ground and those on the 
twigs, no shelter can be more complete. I watched 
them.on the 13th and 14th of October, and found 
their evening retreat was exact and uniform, but 
after this they made no regular appearance. Now 
and then a straggler was seen, and on the 22d of 
October I observed two, in the morning, over the 
village, and with them my remarks for the season 
ended. 
From all these circumstances put together, it is 
more than probable that this lingering flight, at so 
late a season of the year, never departed from the 
island. Had they indulged me that autumn witha 
November visit, as | much desired, | presume that, 
with proper assistants, I should have settled the 
matter past all doubt; but though the 3d of No. 
vember was a sweet day, and in appearance exactly 
suited to my wishes, yet not a martin was to be 
seen, and so | was forced reluctantly to give up the 
pursuit. | 
I have only to add, that were the bushes, which 
cover some acres, and are not my own property, to 
be grubbed and carefully examined, probably those 
late broods, and perhaps the whole aggregate body 
of the house-martins of this district, might be 
found there in different secret dormitories; and 
that, so far from withdrawing into warmer climes, 
Cc 
