NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 93 



LETTER XXIX. 



SELBORNE, May iztk, 1770. 



DEAR SIR, Last month we had such a series of cold turbulent 

 weather, such a constant succession of frost, and snow, and hail, 

 and tempest, that the regular migration or appearance of the 

 summer birds was much interrupted. Some did not show them- 

 selves (at least were not heard) till weeks after their usual time ; 

 as the blackcap and whitethroat ; and some have not been heard 

 yet, as the grasshopper-lark and largest willow-wren. As to the 

 fly-catcher, I have not seen it ; it is indeed one of the latest, but 

 should appear about this time : and yet, amidst all this meteorous 

 strife and war of the elements, two swallows discovered them- 

 selves as long ago as April nth, in frost and snow; but they 

 withdrew quickly, and were not visible again for many days. 

 House-martins, which are always more backward than swallows, 

 were not observed till May came in. 



Among the monogamous birds several are to be found, after 

 pairing-time, single, and of each sex ; but whether this state of 

 celibacy is matter of choice or necessity, is not so easy discover- 

 able. When the house-sparrows deprive my martins of their 

 nests, as soon as I cause one to be shot, the other, be it cock or 

 hen, presently procures a mate, and so for several times following. 



I have known a dove-house infested by a pair of white owls, 

 which made great havoc among the young pigeons : one of the 

 owls was shot as soon as possible ; but the survivor readily found 

 a mate, and the mischief went on. After some time the new 

 pair were both destroyed, and the annoyance ceased. 



Another instance I remember of a sportsman, whose zeal for 

 the increase of his game being greater than his humanity, after 

 pairing-time he always shot the cock-bird of every couple of 

 partridges upon his grounds ; supposing that the rivalry of many 

 males interrupted the breed : he used to say, that, though he had 

 widowed the same hen several times, yet he found she was still 



