146 The Natural History of Selborne 



on the top of a tall tree in a village, the cock sings from morning 

 to night : he affects neighbourhoods, and avoids solitude, and loves 

 to build in orchards and about houses ; with us he perches on the 

 vane of a tall maypole. 



The fly-catcher is of all our summer birds the most mute and the 

 most familiar ; it also appears the last of any. It builds in a vine, 

 or a sweetbrier, against the wall of a house, or in the hole of a wall, 

 or on the end of a beam or plate, and often close to the post of a door 

 where people are going in and out all day long. This bird does not 

 make the least pretension to song, but uses a little inward wailing 

 note when it thinks its young in danger from cats or other annoy- 

 ances ; it breeds but once, and retires early. 



Selborne parish alone can and has exhibited at times more than 

 half the birds that are ever seen in all Sweden ; the former has 

 produced more than one hundred and twenty species, the latter 

 only two hundred and twenty-one. Let me add also that it has 

 shown near half the species that were ever known in Great 

 Britain.* 



On a retrospect, I observe that my long letter carries with it 

 a quaint and magisterial air, and is very sententious ; but when I 

 recollect that you requested stricture and anecdote, I hope you will 

 pardon the didactic manner for the sake of the information it may 

 happen to contain. 



* Sweden 221, Great Britain 252 species. [Many more are now known. ED.] 



