ADVERTISEMENT 



TO THE 8VO EDITION, PUBLISHED IN 1802, EDITED BY JOHN 

 WHITE, THE BROTHER OF THE AUTHOR. 



favourable reception with which the works on natural 

 history of my late respected relation, the Rev. Gilbert White of 

 Selborne, have been honoured by the persons best qualified to 

 judge of their merit, has induced me to present them to the public 

 in a collected and commodious form, free from the encumbrance 

 of any extraneous matter. His largest work, entitled ' The 

 Natural History of Selborne,' has probably been supposed by 

 many to be formed upon a more local and confined plan than it 

 really is. In fact, the greater part of the observations are ap- 

 plicable to al that portion of the island in which he resided, and 

 were indeedl made in various places. Almost the only matter 

 absolutely local is the account of the antiquities of the village of 

 Selborne ; and this seemed to stand so much apart, that, however 

 well calculated to gratify the lovers of topographical studies, it 

 was thought that its entire omission would be considered no loss 

 to the work, considered as a publication on natural history. Its 

 place is occupied by the ' Naturalists' Calendar, and Miscellaneous 

 Observations,' which appeared in a separate volume since the 

 author's decease, extracted from his papers by Dr. Aitkin. That 

 gentleman has also made some farther selections from the papers, 

 which are now all in my possession ; and has undertaken the 

 revision and arrangement of the whole. A very valuable ad- 

 dition to the calendar and observations has been obtained from 

 the kindness of William Mark wick, Esq., F.L.S., well known as 

 an accurate observer of nature, whose parallel calendar, kept in 

 the county of Sussex, is given upon the opposite columns. 



" The Editor flatters himself that the publication in its present 

 form will prove an acceptable addition to the library of the 

 naturalist ; and will in particular, be useful in inspiring young 

 persons, and those who pass their time in retirement, with a taste 

 for the very pleasing branch of knowledge on which it treats. 



"T. W. 



" FLEET STREET, 1802." 



