XVI A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF 



insects first appear and disappear. There are also remarks 

 with regard to fish and other animals ; with miscellaneous 

 observations and memoranda on various subjects. Eor 

 instance, we are told that on the 21st of June, house-martins, 

 which had laid their eggs in an old nest, had hatched them, 

 and that when this is the case they get the start of those 

 that build new ones by ten days or a fortnight. He speaks 

 with some degree of triumph to having ricked his meadow 

 hay in delicate order, and that Thomas had seen a pole-cat 

 run across his garden. He records the circumstance of boys 

 playing at taw on the Plestor ; and that he had set Gunnery, 

 one of his bantam hens, on nine of her own eggs. He com- 

 plains that dogs come into his garden at night and eat his 

 gooseberries, and gives a useful hint to farmers and others, 

 when he says that rooks and crows destroy an immense 

 number of chaffers, and that were it not for these birds the 

 chaffers would destroy everything. 



In addition to his remarks on Natural History, Mr. White 

 recorded in his diaries the visits which were occasionally paid 

 him, and carefully notes down the births of his numerous ne- 

 phews and nieces, (amounting to about sixty-three at the time 

 his diary closed,) as they respectively came into the world. 

 He "chronicled" his ale and beer, as they were brewed by 

 his man Thomas, who appears to have been his valet, gar- 

 dener, and assistant naturalist. He takes notice of the 

 quantity of port wine which came to his share when he 

 divided a pipe of it with some of his neighbours ; and he 

 makes frequent mention of his crops, his fine and early cu- 

 cumbers, and the flavour of his Cardilliac peas, he evidently 

 passing much of his time in his garden. The appearance 

 of his neighbours' hops, the beginning and ending of their 

 harvests, their bees, pigs, and poultry, are also noticed in 

 succession, and appear to have added to the interest he took 

 in rural lite. 



