NATORAL ATSTORY OF SELBORNE. 75 
PET k xvi. 
TO THE SAME. 
SELBORNE, December 8th, 1769. 
DEAR SIR,—I was much gratified by your communicative letter 
on your return from Scotland, where you spent some considerable 
time, and gave yourself good room to examine the natural curiosities 
of that extensive kingdom, both those of the islands, as well as 
those of the highlands. ‘The usual bane of such expeditions is 
hurry, because men seldom allot themselves half the time they 
should do ; but, fixing on a day for their return, post from place to 
place, rather as if they were on a journey that required dispatch, 
than as philosophers investigating the works of nature. You must 
have made, no doubt, many discoveries, and laid up a good fund 
of materials for a future edition of the ‘‘ British Zoology ;” and 
will have no reason to repent that you have bestowed so much pains 
on a part of Great Britain that perhaps was never so well examined 
before. 
It has always been matter of wonder to me that fieldfares, which 
are so congenerous to thrushes and blackbirds, should never choose 
to breed in England; but that they should not think even the high- 
lands cold and northerly, and sequestered enough, is a circumstance 
still more strange and wonderful. The ring-ousel, you find, stays 
in Scotland the whole year round; so that we have reasons to con- 
clude that those migrators that visit us for a short space every 
autumn do not come from thence.* 
e 
* How true is the opening to this letter. Even now the north of Scotland is not known 
zoologically ; it would still require to be explored Zezsuxely, and we have no doubt that 
there is yet much in what are called the “‘ lower departments ” to reward the care of a 
diligent investigation. 
We are not aware that the 77zg-ousel “stays in Scotland the whole year round.” 
Mr. Yarnell states, or rather mentions without stating authority, that Scotch instances 
of the fieldfare breeding have occurred, and that nests have been found in the southern 
counties, We have never known an authentic instance in Scotland, and we have received 
many letters upon the subject which invariably turned out that the supposed fieldfare was 
the missel-thrush. They often remain very late, until the middle of May, according to 
the season, and may sometimes be seen after some of the summer visitants have arrived. 
We should not consider it at all remarkable that the breeding of some solitary pairs should 
be authentically recorded. In the northern countries where it breeds, it is naturally a 
late incubator. The ‘‘ snow-fleck” ( Alectrophanes nivalis) is not a short-winged bird, and 
the first quill is the longest, which is the formation generally seen in birds of powerful or 
lengthened flight. This bird may occasionally remain and breed in Scotland. Professor 
