158 TORTOISE. 



and the sun warm and invigorating. And I am the 

 more of this opinion, from what I have remarked 

 during some of our late springs, and though some 

 swallows did make their appearance about the usual 

 time, viz., the 13th or 14th of April, yet, meeting 

 with an harsh reception, and blustering cold north- 

 east winds, they immediately withdrew, absconding 

 for several days till the weather gave them better 

 encouragement . 



LETTER L. . 



TO THE SAME. 



April 12, 1772. 

 DEAR SIR, 



WHILE I was in Sussex last autumn, my resi- 

 dence was at the village near Lewes, from whence 

 I had formerly the pleasure of writing to you. On 

 the 1st of November, I remarked that the old tor- 

 toise, formerly mentioned, began first to dig the 

 ground, in order to the forming of its hybernaculum, 

 which it had fixed on just Reside a great turf of he- 

 paticas. It scrapes out the ground with its forefeet, 

 and throws it up over its back with its hind ; but the 

 motion of its legs is ridiculously slow, little exceed- 

 ing the hour-hand of a clock, and suitable to the 

 composure of an animal said to be a whole month 

 in performing one feat of copulation. Nothing can 

 be more assiduous than this creature, night and day, 

 in scooping the earth, and forcing its great body 

 into the cavity; but, as the noons of that season 

 proved unusually warm and sunny, it was continually 

 interrupted, and called forth by the heat, in the 

 middle of the day; and though I continued there 



