222 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



of shell-snails ; and, at the same juncture, the tortoise 

 heaved up the mould and put out its head ; and the next 

 morning came forth, as it were raised from the dead ; and 

 walked about till four in the afternoon. This was a 

 curious coincidence ! a very amusing occurrence ! to see 

 such a similarity of feelings between the two cpepeoiKoi ! 

 for so the Greeks call 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 

 TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON 



Selborne, Sept. 3, 1781. 



I HAVE now read your miscellanies through with much 

 care and satisfaction : and am to return you my best 

 thanks for the honourable 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 examination 

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

 observing that no martins had appeared by the 1 1 th of 

 April last ; on that day I employed some men to explore 

 the shrubs and cavities of the suspected spot. The persons 

 took pains, but without any success : however, a remark- 

 able 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 



