34 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



LETTER XIII 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIRE 



Selborne, Jan. 22, 1768. 



SIR, 



As in one of your former letters you expressed the more 

 satisfaction from my correspondence on account of my 

 living in the most southerly county ; so now I may return 

 the compliment, and expect to have my curiosity gratified 

 by your living much more to the North. 



For many years past I have observed that towards 

 Christmas vast flocks of chaffinches have appeared in the 

 fields ; many more, I used to think, than could be hatched 

 in any one neighbourhood. But, when I came to observe 

 them more narrowly, I was amazed to find that they seemed 

 to be almost all hens. I communicated my suspicions to 

 some intelligent neighbours, who, after taking pains about 

 the matter, declared that they also thought them all mostly 

 females ; at least fifty to one. This extraordinary occur- 

 rence brought to my mind the remark of Linnaeus ; that 

 " before winter, all their hen chaffinches migrate through 

 Holland into Italy." Now I want to know, from some 

 curious person in the North, whether there are any large 

 flocks of these finches with them in the winter, and of 

 which sex they mostly consist? For, from such intelli- 

 gence, one might be able to judge whether our female 

 flocks migrate from the other end of the island, or 

 whether they come over to us from the continent. 



We have, in the winter, vast flocks of the common 

 linnets; more, I think, than can be bred in any one 

 district. These, I observe, when the spring advances, 

 assemble on some tree in the sunshine, and join all in a 

 gentle sort of chirping, as if they were about to break up 

 their winter quarters and betake themselves to their 

 proper summer homes. It is well known, at least, 

 that the swallows and the fieldfares do congregate with 



