OF SELBORNE. 241 



the mould and put out it's head ; and the next morning came 

 forth, as it were raised from the dead ; and walked about till 

 four in the afternoon. This was a curious coincidence ! a 

 very amusing occurrence ! to see such a similarity of feelings 

 between the two fapeoifcoi ! for so the Greeks call both the 

 shell-snail and the tortoise. 



Summer birds are, this cold and backward spring, unusually 

 late : I have seen but one swallow yet. This conformity with 

 the weather convinces me more and more that they sleep in 

 the winter. 



LETTER LI. 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, Sept. 3, 1781. 



I HAVE now read your miscellanies through with much cafe 

 and satisfaction ; and am to return you my best thanks for 

 the honourable mention made in them of me as a naturalist, 

 which I wish I may deserve* 



In some former letters I expressed my suspicions that many 

 of the house-martins do not depart in the winter far from this 

 village. I therefore determined to make some search about 

 the south-east end of the hill, where I imagined they might 

 slumber out the uncomfortable months of winter. But sup- 

 posing that the examination would be made to the best advan- 

 tage in the spring, and observing that no martins had 

 appeared by the llth of April last; on that day I employed 

 some men to explore the shrubs and cavities of the suspected 

 spot. The persons took pains, but without any success : 

 however, a remarkable incident occurred in the midst of our 

 pursuit while the labourers were at work a house-martin, 

 the first that had been seen this year, came down the village 

 in the sight of several people, and went at once into a nest, 

 where it stayed a short time, and then flew over the houses ; 

 for some days after no martins were observed, not till the 



R 



