50 CHAFFINCHES. 



regard to their migration, what difficulties attend 

 that supposition ! that such feeble bad fliers, who 

 the summer long never flit but from hedge to hedge, 

 should be able to traverse vast seas and continents, 

 in order to enjoy milder seasons amidst the regions 

 of Africa. 



LETTER XIII. 



TO THE SAME. 



SELBORNE, Jan. 22, 1768. 

 SIR, 



As, in one of your former letters, you expressed 

 the more satisfaction from my correspondence on 

 account of my living in the most southerly county ; 

 so now I may return the compliment, and expect 

 to have my curiosity gratified by your living much 

 more to the north. 



For many years past, I have observed, that, 

 towards Christmas, vast flocks of chaffinches have 

 appeared in the fields many more, I used to 

 think, than could be hatched in any one neighbour- 

 hood. But, when I came to observe them more 

 narrowly, I was amazed to find that they seemed 

 to me to be almost all hens. I communicated my 

 suspicions to some intelligent neighbours, who, after 

 taking pains about the matter, declared that they 

 also thought them mostly all females ; at least fifty 

 to one. This extraordinary occurrence brought to 

 my mind the remark of Linnaeus, that, " before 

 winter, all their hen chaffinches migrate through 

 Holland into Italy." Now I want to know, from 

 some curious person in the north, whether there 

 are any large flocks of these finches with them in 



