XL] 



OF SELBORNE. 



115 



Scopoli's characters of his ordines and genera are clear, just, and 

 expressive, and much in the spirit of Linnaeus. These few remarks 

 are the result of my first perusal of Scopoli's " Annus Primus." 



The bane of our science is the comparing one animal to the 

 other by memory : for want of caution in this particular Scopoli 

 falls into errors : he is not so full with regard to the manners of 

 his indigenous birds as might be wished, as you justly observe : 

 his Latin is easy, elegant, and expressive, and very superior to 

 Kramer's " Elenchus Vegetabilium et Animalium per Austriani 

 Inferiorem." 



I am pleased to see that my description of the moose corre- 

 sponds so well with yours. 



SELBORNE, Oct. 29, 1770. 



LETTER XL. 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQ. 



I WAS much pleased to see, among the collection of birds from 

 Gibraltar, some of those short-winged English summer birds of 

 passage concerning whose departure we have made so much 

 inquiry. Now, if these birds are found in Andalusia to migrate 

 to and from Barbary, it may easily be supposed that those that 

 come to us may migrate back to the Continent, and spend their 

 winters in some of the warmer parts of Europe. This is certain, 

 that many soft-billed birds that come to Gibraltar appear there 

 only in spring and autumn, seeming to advance in pairs towards 

 the northward, for the sake of breeding during the summer 

 months, and retiring in parties and broods towards the south 

 at the decline of the year : so that the rock of Gibraltar is the 

 great rendezvous and place of observation from whence they 

 take their departure each way towards Europe or Africa. It is 

 therefore no mean discovery, I think, to find that our small 

 short-winged summer birds of passage are to be seen spring 

 and autumn on the very skirts of Europe ; it is a presumptive 

 proof of their emigrations. 



