184 NATURAL HISTORY 



also on a time to have but one solitary hen. These two in- 

 congruous animals spent much of their time together in a 

 lonely orchard, where they saw no creature but each other. 

 By degrees an apparent regard began to take place between 

 these two sequestered individuals. The fowl would approach 

 the quadruped with notes of complacency, rubbing herself 

 gently against his legs : while the horse would look down 

 with satisfaction, and move with the greatest caution and 

 circumspection, lest he should trample on his diminutive com- 

 panion. Thus, by mutual good offices, each seemed to con- 

 sole the vacant hours of the other : so that Milton, when he 

 puts the following sentiment in the mouth of Adam, seems to 

 be somewhat mistaken : 



" Much less can bird with beast, or fish with fowl, 

 " So well converse, nor with the ox the ape." * 



LETTER XXV. 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, Oct. 2, 1775. 

 DEAR SIR, 



WE have two gangs or hordes of gypsies which infest the 

 south and west of England, and come round in their circuit 

 two or three times in the year. One of these tribes calls 

 itself by the noble name of Stanley, of which I have nothing 

 particular to say ; but the other is distinguished by an appel- 

 lative somewhat remarkable As far as their harsh gibberish 

 can be understood, they seem to say that the name of their 

 clan is Curleople; now the termination of this word is appa- 

 rently Grecian : and as Mezeray and the gravest historians all 

 agree that these vagrants did certainly migrate from Egypt 



* [Mr. Bennett has the following- note on this letter in his edition : 

 " Barrington has inserted this letter in his Miscellanies/ p. 253, prefacing 

 it thus: ' I shall here, on this head, subjoin part of a letter which I re- 

 ceived from my often mentioned correspondent, the Rev. Mr, White, of 

 Selborne, in Hampshire,' " T. B.] 



