NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 95 



Fertur in arva volans, plausumque exterrita pennis, 

 Dat tecto ingentem mox acre lapsa quieto, 

 Radit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas." 



" As when a dove her rocky hold forsakes, 

 Roused, in a fright her sounding wings she shakes ; 

 The cavern rings with clattering : out she flies, 

 And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies : 

 At first she flutters : but at length she springs 

 To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings." 



I am, etc. 



NOTE 



1 Some old sportsmen say that the main part of these flocks used to 

 withdraw as soon as the heavy Christmas frosts were over. G. W. 



LETTERS TO THE HON. DAINES BARRINGTON 

 LETTER I 



SELBORNE, June y>th, 1769. 



DEAR SIR, When I was in town last month I partly en- 

 gaged that I would sometimes do myself the honor to write 

 to you on the subject of natural history ; and I am the more 

 ready to fulfil my promise, because I see you are a gentle- 

 man of great candor, and one that will make allowances ; 

 especially where the writer professes to be an outdoor natu- 

 ralist, one that takes his observations from the subject itself, 

 and not from the writings of others. 



THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE SUMMER BlRDS OF PAS- 

 SAGE WHICH I HAVE DISCOVERED IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, 

 RANGED SOMEWHAT IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY AP- 

 PEAR I 



RAII NOMINA USUALLY APPEARS ABOUT 



1. Wryneck, Jynx, rive Torquilla. \ T1 ? e m u iddle of March : 



) harsh note. 



2. Smallest willow- ) R &J ^ ^ < March 2 3 rd : chirps till 



wren, ) ( September. 



3. Swallow, Hirundo domestica. April 13. 



4. Martin, Hirundo rustica. Ditto. 



