zoo The Natural History of Selborne 



is remarkable that they make but a few days' stay in their 

 spring visit, but rest near a fortnight at Michaelmas. These 

 birds, from the observations of three springs and two autumns, 

 are most punctual in their return ; and exhibit a new migra- 

 tion unnoticed by the writers, who supposed they never were 

 to be seen in any southern countries. 



One of my neighbours lately brought me a new saticaria, 

 which at first I suspected might have proved your willow- 

 lark,* but, on a nicer examination, it answered much better 

 to the description of that species which you shot at Revesby, 1 

 in Lincolnshire. My bird I describe thus : " It is a size less 

 than the grasshopper-lark ; the head, back, and coverts of the 

 wings, of a dusky brown, without those dark spots of the 

 grasshopper-lark; over each eye is a milk-white stroke; the 

 chin and throat are white, and the under parts of a yellowish 

 white ; the rump is tawny, and the feathers of the tail sharp- 

 pointed ; the bill is dusky and sharp, and the legs are dusky ; 

 the hinder claw long and crooked." The person that shot it 

 says that it sung so like a reed-sparrow that he took it for 

 one ; and that it sings all night : but this account merits 

 farther inquiry. For my part, I suspect it is a second sort of 

 locustela, hinted at by Dr. Derham in Ray's Letters : see 

 p. 108. He also procured me a grasshopper-lark. 



The question that you put with regard to those genera of 

 animals that are peculiar to America, viz., how they came 

 there, and whence? is too puzzling for me to answer; and 

 yet so obvious as often to have struck me with wonder. If 

 one looks into the writers on that subject little satisfaction is 

 to be found. Ingenious men will readily advance plausible 

 arguments to support whatever theory they shall choose to 

 maintain ; but then the misfortune is, every one's hypothesis 

 is each as good as another's, since they are all founded on 

 conjecture. The late writers of this sort, in whom may be 

 seen all the arguments of those that have gone before, as I 



* For this Salicaria, see letter, August 3Oth, 1769. 

 1 The seat of Sir Joseph Banks. ED. 



