NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. -2^ 



see such a similarity of feelings between the two <jf>epeoiKoi ! for so 

 the Greeks called both the shell-snail and the tortoise. 



Summer birds are, this cold and backward spring, unusually 

 late : I have seen but one swallow yet. This conformity with the 

 weather convinces me more and more that they sleep in the winter, 



LETTER LI. 



SELBORNE, Sept. $rd, 1781. 



T HAVE now read your miscellanies through with much care and 

 satisfaction ; and am to return you my best thanks for the honour- 

 able mention made in them of me as a naturalist, which I wish I 

 may deserve. 



In some former letters I expressed my suspicions that many of 

 the house-martins do not depart in the winter far from this village. 

 I therefore determined to make some search about the south-east 

 end of the hill, where I imagined they might slumber out the 

 uncomfortable months of winter. But supposing that the examina- 

 tion would be made to the best advantage in the spring, and 

 observing that no martins had appeared by the nth April last; 

 on that day I employed some men to explore the shrubs and 

 cavities of the suspected spot. The persons took pains, but with- 

 out any success ; however, a remarkable incident occurred in the 

 midst of our pursuit : while the labourers were at work a house- 

 martin, the first that had been seen this year, came down the 

 village in the sight of several people, and went at once into a nest, 

 where it stayed a short time, and then flew over the houses ; for 

 some days after no martins were observed, not till the i6th April, 

 and then only a pair. Martins in general were remarkably late 

 this year. 



