294 CORRESPONDENCE OF GILBERT WHITE 



will make a fierce appearance with a quotation from Aristotle, 

 & another from Pliny : but whether the R. S. will read it : or 

 whether afterwards they will print it, I know not. 



With all good wishes for your health and prosperity, I re- 

 main 



Your obliged & humble servant, 



GIL. WHITE. 

 Selborne:Nov r 20th, 1792. 



LETTER XVII. 



MABSHAM TO WHITE. 



Stratton : Dec. 10. 92. 

 DEAR SIB, 



MY thanks are justly due to you for the favour of your 

 obliging letter of the 20 th of Nov r & for Scopoli's description 

 of the Wall-creeper. Although several articles answer ex- 

 actly, yet i must think him a careless describer. e. g. the Bill 

 is somewhat longer than its shanks ; but he does not say the 

 length of either, leaving the reader to suppose what he likes. 

 I tell you the Bill is above an inch, about one tenth. He does 

 not name the hind-claw being above double the length of the 

 fore-claws. Colour has a large share in the beauty of Birds ! 

 He says the four quil-ieathers are distinguished on the inner 

 side with two white spots, These spots are on the upper side, 

 & in the two quils next the body ; the upper spots are white 

 & the lower are yellow ; which he ought not to have over- 

 looked. You will judge better by the enclosed painting *, than 

 my poor description. A young Lady drew them for me, & they 

 appear to me to be very exact copies, & charmingly executed. 



* [This painting in water-colours has been kindly lent to me by Prof. 

 Bell. It represents with much accuracy two of the primary quill- 

 feathers, the fifth and seventh, I believe, from the left wing of a female 

 or young male Certhia, or, as it is now more commonly called, Tichodroma 

 murana, leaving no doubt as to the correctness of the determination of 

 the specimen by Marsham and White. A. N.] 



