74 WHITE 



some measure invalidates all he has said ; at least he shows 

 at once that he compares them to these species merely from 

 memory : for I have compared the birds themselves, and find 

 they differ widely in every circumstance of shape, size, arid 

 color. However, as you will have a specimen, I shall be glad 

 to hear what your judgment is in the matter. 



Whether my brother is forestalled in his nondescript or not, 

 he will have the credit of first discovering that they spend their 

 winters under the warm and sheltry shores of Gibraltar and 

 Barbary. 



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 Sco- 

 poli'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. 1 



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

 responds so well with yours. 



I am, etc. 

 NOTE 



1 See his "Elenchus Vegetabilium et Animalium per Austriam Inferiorem, 

 etc." G. W. 



LETTER XXXIII 



SELBORNE, Nov. 26th, 1770. 



DEAR SIR, I was much pleased to see, among the collec- 

 tion of birds from Gibraltar, some of those short-winged Eng- 

 lish 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, 



