ADVERTISEMENT 



THE REV. MR. WHITE so agreeably known to the 

 public by his Natural History of Selborne, left behind him 

 a series of yearly books, containing his diurnal observations 

 on the occurrences in the various walks of rural nature, 

 from the year 1768 to the time of his death in 1793. 

 From these annals he had already extracted all the matter 

 comprised in the work above mentioned, down to the 

 middle of 1787 ; but several curious facts in the preceding 

 numbers had not been thus employed ; and all the subse- 

 quent ones remained untouched. It was thought a mark 

 of respect due to his memory, and to the reputation he 

 had acquired as a faithful and elegant observer, not to 

 consign these relics to neglect. The manuscripts were 

 accordingly put into my hands for the purpose of selecting 

 from them what might seem worthy of laying before the 

 public. The present small publication is the fruit of my 

 research. With no small pains I collected the materials of 

 it, dispersed through the records of so many years, and 

 gave them such an arrangement as I thought would present 

 them in the most agreeable and useful manner to the lovers 

 of natural knowledge. 



J. AIKIN. 



London, Jan. i, 1795. 



385 



