182 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE 1770 



The following letter to Pennant was naturally 



not included in those published, since it did not 



relate to Selborne. 



Selborne, July 12, 1770. 



Dear Sir, — A journey to London, and an other since, from 

 whence I am but just returned, have prevented my paying 

 that attention to your last letter that I could have wished. 



If you knew how little I had to communicate to you with 

 respect to specimens from Gibraltar* 'til I went last to 

 town, you would not think I had neglected you : for 'til that 

 time I had only received two muscicapm and three insects. 

 One of the birds proves, I find, to be Edwards's grey red- 

 start ;■[* the other, which has a white forehead, a tawny 

 occiput and scapulars, black wings, a white rump, and black 

 and white tail, black throat and cheeks, a tawny breast, and 

 whitish belly — I cannot at present ascertain. I 



The three insects were a Fanoiya coa ; rare, and peculiar 

 in its hind wings ! a large fine Vespa, the crahroni congener 

 in Italia capta Raij., vide ' Hist. Insect.', p. 250 ; and a large 

 Ichneumon. 



When I came to town I found a box containing several 

 birds, the most curious of which are — 



Merops apiaster^ Stays all the summer. 



Loxia coccothraiosf[es], Autumn and winter. 



Motacilla stapazina^ Comes in autumn. 



^ ^ \ Stay all the winter. 



Razor-bill 3 



Lanius excuhitor^ Common in Spain. 



* No doubt the collection sent by John White and mentioned in Gilbert's 

 letter to him of May 26th, 1770. 



t Commonly known now as the black redstart, Rutidlla titys. — A. N. 



X Doubtless a species of wheatear, and the mention of the black throat 

 shows it to have been the Saxicola stapazina of most modern authors, and 

 the Motacilla stapazina of Linnaeus was most likely the nearly allied species 

 now known as S. albicollis or aurita. — A. N. 



