THOMAS BEWICK 190 



before his death, writing to a correspondent who had 

 asked him where White had been born, he rephed : — 



There is Gilbert White's own authority for his having 

 been born at Selborne Vicarage. In one of his poems 

 he has : — 



" Nor be the Parsonage by the Muse forgot, 

 The partial bard admires his native spot." 



I beheve I was the first to point this out. 



So far as is known, he visited Selborne once only, 

 in 1874. 



Last week I went on a pilgrimage with A. C. Smith 

 to Selborne, and was charmed with the beauty of the 

 place. Unluckily, old Bell was not at home. 



It is wortli recording that he possessed Yarrell's copy 

 of the first edition of " Selborne," and Gilbert White's 

 copy of Bay's " Pisces." 



Hardly inferior (in Newton's opinion) to Gilbert 

 White in having a lasting influence on British Ornith- 

 ology was Thomas Bewick, whose " Land Birds " ap- 

 peared in 1797, the " Water Bkds " in 1804. 



Now there is really a chance for you, the long ex- 

 pected autobiography of Bewick is published. Sit 

 down and write us a notice of it for the Ibis ; surely you 

 can knock off sixteen of our little pages on a subject 

 which must interest you as a Northumbrian, an ornith- 

 ologist, and an admirer of all true men ? I should think 

 Bewick has done more to instil Ornithology in boys' 

 hearts than " any other man," not excepting Gilbert 

 White, for there is many a lively lad who has been 

 attracted by those wonderful wood-cuts, which at once 

 appealed to his senses, and who would never have had 

 the patience even to skim over " Selborne." You are 

 the man to do it, you live on the spot, have talked with 

 dozens of people who knew the old fellow well, and must 

 have lots to say about him, of your own picking up. 



