146 The Natural ' ' History of Selborne 



sometimes to build in rooks' nests, and sometimes in the 

 forks of boughs under rooks' nests. 



As my neighbour was housing a rick he observed that his 

 dogs devoured all the little red mice that they could catch, 

 but rejected the common mice; and that his cats ate the 

 common mice, refusing the red. 



Red-breasts sing all through the spring, summer, and 

 autumn. The reason that they are called autumn songsters 

 is, because in the two first seasons their voices are drowned 

 and lost in the general chorus; in the latter their song 

 becomes distinguishable. Many songsters of the autumn 

 seem to be the young cock red-breasts of that year : notwith- 

 standing the prejudices in their favour, they do much mischief 

 in gardens to the summer-fruits.* 



The titmouse, which early in February begins to make two 

 quaint notes, like the whetting of a saw, is the marsh titmouse : 

 the great titmouse sings with three cheerful joyous notes, and 

 begins about the same time. 



Wrens sing all the winter through, frost excepted. 



House-martins came remarkably late this year both in 

 Hampshire and Devonshire : is this circumstance for or 

 against either hiding or migration ? 



Most birds drink sipping at intervals ; but pigeons take a 

 long continued draught, like quadrupeds. 



Notwithstanding what I have said in a former letter, no 

 grey crows were ever known to breed on Dartmoor; it was 

 my mistake. 



The appearance and flying of the Scarabceus solstitialis, or 

 fern-chafer, commence with the month of July, and cease 

 about the end of it. These scarabs are the constant food of 

 Caprimulgi, or fern-owls, through that period. They abound 

 on the chalky downs and in some sandy districts, but not in 

 the clays. 



In the garden of the Black Bear inn in the town of Reading 



* They eat also the berries of the ivy, the honeysuckle, and the 

 Euonymus curoptzus, or spindle-tree. 



