124 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE 1734 



ceived a notion of much satisfaction to be found in the 

 range of the meadow, and Baker's hill; and that beautiful 

 females might inhabit those vast spaces, which appeared 

 boundless in his eye. But having wandered 'til he was 

 tired, and having met with nothing but weeds, and coarse 

 grass, and solitude, he was glad to return to the poppies, 

 and lettuces, and the other luxuries of the garden. 



The more I enquire into the mischief occasioned by the 

 hail-storm the worse I find it ! Had not this tempest been 

 confined to narrow limits the whole neighbourhood would 

 have been desolated ! You will be surprised to see the heaps 

 of stones that the torrents have washed down ! ! ! 



Your loving friend, 



Gil. White. 



Blowing showery weather for some days. A prospect 

 of much grass. When do you make hay ? 

 We shall hope to see you all in August. 



The Naturalist's Journal at this time mentions — 



"July 17th. Mr. Charles Etty brought down with him 

 from London in the coach his two finely-chequered tortoises, 

 natives of the island of Madagascar, which appear to be the 

 Testudo geometricay Linn., and the Testudo tessellata Raii. 

 One of them was small, and probably a male, weighing 

 about 5 lbs. : the other which was undoubtedly a female, 

 because it layed an egg the day after its arrival, weighed 

 lOi lbs. The egg was round, and white, and much re- 

 sembling in size and shape the egg of an owl. The backs 

 of these tortoises are uncommonly convex and gibbous." 

 [A reference to " Ray's Quadrup., p. 260 .1' is given]. " The 

 head, neck, and legs of these were yellow. . . ." 



At this time the Mulso family from Meonstoke 

 were purposing a visit to Selborne. The usual 



