186 GILBEET WHITE OF SELBOENE 1770 



best acknowledgments are due for so curious and rare a 

 present." 



Letter XXXII. to Pennant, written on October 

 29th, 1770, contained, at its commencement, many 

 sentences which were omitted in publication as not 

 germane to the work. After a discussion of some of 

 the birds forwarded by John White from Gibraltar, 

 and now in Pennant's possession* the letter proceeds — 



"You tender me Kramer* in so obliging a manner, and 

 give so tempting a description of his Fauna, that I don't 

 know how to waive so pleasing an offer ; and yet I should 

 be sorry to give you any trouble on that account. 



" I will desire my Brother to take the height of the rock 

 of Gibraltar: was it not stupendous there could not be 

 such a resort and rendezvous of so many sorts of wild 

 and shy birds amidst such a concourse of people. In an 

 E. wind or levant the top is usually capped with a fog. On 

 Saturday night last I was gratified with your pleasing letter 

 of Ocf^ 21. I mention this circumstance to show you that 

 I lose no time in returning your fine drawings, as you 

 desired they might not be detained. Your Artist has done 

 my birds a great deal of credit, as well as himself; and 

 I hope they will get back safe without any injury. The 

 Jiinco is finely expressed and the Quail is, I think, as lovely 

 a drawing as ever I saw. If I might object at all to any 

 part of the performance it should be the right wing of the 

 HirundOy which perhaps is rather stiff, and to the middle of 

 the tail, which seems too round. For the tail, though not 

 forked, is somewhat emarginated, as Scopoli observes. The 

 oval spots of the tail, which are characteristic of this species, 

 are well hit off. The secondary wing feathers are, you must 

 observe, deeply knotched. 



* G. H. Kramer, 'Elenchus vegetabilium et animalium per Austriam 

 Inferiorem observatorum.' Vienna : 1756. — A. N. 



