THE 



NATURAL HISTORY 



4 



OF 



SELBORNE. 



LETTER I. 

 To THOMAS PENNANT, ESQ. 



THE parish of Selborne lies in the extreme-eastern corner of the 

 county of Hampshire, bordering on the county of Sussex, and not 

 far from the county of Surrey ; is about fifty miles south-west of 

 London, in latitude 51, and nearly midway between the towns of 

 Alton and Petersfield. Being very large and extensive, it abuts 

 on twelve parishes, two of which are in Sussex, viz. Trotton and 

 Rogate. If you begin from the south and proceed westward, the 

 adjacent parishes are Emshot, Newton Valence, Faringdon, 

 Harteley Mauduit, Great Ward le ham, Kingsley, Hedleigh. 

 Bramshot, Trotton, Rogate, Lysse, and Greatham. The soils of 

 this district are almost as various and diversified as the views 

 and aspects. The high part to the south-west consists of a vast 

 hill of chalk, rising three hundred feet above the village ; and is 

 divided into a sheep-down, the high wood, and a long hanging 

 wood called the Hanger. The covert of this eminence is alto- 

 gether beech, the most lovely of all forest trees, whether we con- 

 sider its smooth rind or bark, its glossy foliage, or graceful 

 pendulous boughs. The down, or sheep-walk, is a pleasing park- 

 like spot, of about one mile by half that space, jutting out on the 

 verge of the hill-country, where it begins to break down into the 



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