14 LETTERS TO HIS BROTHER 



by Ray's classing it among the " Picis affines" Your appel- 

 lative of polyglott pleases me so much that I shall adopt it. 

 It has the notes of many birds ; and could it be persuaded not 

 to sing in such a hurry, it would be an elegant songster. 

 They abound with us, especially on the verge of the forest, 

 and are sometimes at James Knight's ponds in short, wher- 

 ever there are pools or streams. 



Mr. Lever may very probably be right with respect to the 

 short-eared owl. I have always suspected that Mr. S.'s tawny 

 owl and brown owl were only different sexes of the same species. 

 I am sorry that you met with such a rebuff at Midsummer, such 

 a cold and dreary summer solstice ; for if these things be done 

 in the green tree, what will be done in the dry ? Indeed we 

 had at that season cold, wet, black weather ; but from July 7th 

 to this time have enjoyed the most lovely season that ever was 

 seen, both as to sun for our hay, and, since, soft showers for 

 our meadows, gardens and turnips. I have a prospect of a 

 very fine crop of grapes on the walls of my house. Pray 

 revise your journal without loss of time. The wind was very 

 far from being constantly N. with us for a month before 

 you wrote ; it was very much so indeed from June 27th to 

 July 3rd inclusive, but the week before was all S.W. to a 

 day; but then again from June 13th to the 19th it was pretty 

 much JST.E. and N.W. at different ends of the week. 



I shall write to Mr. Twisse soon and repeat my invitation. 



From the time that the widow returned from her bathing 

 in the sea, she began to be less cruel ; and last week she con- 

 sented to make Mr. Webb happy. They kept their wedding 

 at Newton. Mr. Y[alden] was so delighted with the event, 

 that he made verses on it, the strangest verses you ever saw. 

 He made also a copy on his new alcove ; they are alexandrines 

 and wonderfully unwieldy ; and very much like those before 

 ' Pilgrim's Progress.' It is a pity that so worthy a man should 

 be troubled with such an infirmity * ! 



The story of the aurora is all contradicted. It is a pity that 

 you can't hear from Linnseus. You had better write again. 



* [I have seen these lines ; it is almost a libel on Banyan to compare 

 them with his, grotesque as they are. T. B.] 



