TAME SNAKES. 81 



were two ; but the finder inadvertently crushed one with his foot 

 before he saw them. 



When I wrote to you last year on reptiles, I wish I had not 

 forgot to mention the faculty that snakes have of stinking se de- 

 fendendo. I knew a gentleman who kept a tame snake, which 

 was in its person as sweet as any animal while in good humour 

 and unalarmed ; but as soon as a stranger, or a dog or cat, came 

 in, it fell to hissing, and filled the room with such nauseous 

 effluvia as rendered it hardly supportable. Thus the squnck, or 

 stonck, of Ray's Synop. Quadr. is an innocuous and sweet ani- 

 mal ; but, when pressed hard by dogs and men, it can eject such 

 a most pestilent and fetid smell and excrement, that nothing can 

 be more horrible. 



A gentleman sent me lately a fine specimen of the lanius minor 

 cinerascens cum macula in scapulis alba, Raii j which is a bird 

 that, at the time of your publishing your two first volumes of 

 British Zoology, I find you had not seen. You have described it 

 well from Edwards's drawing.* 



LETTER XXVI. To T. PENNANT, ESQ. 

 DEAR SIR, Selborne, December 8, 1769. 



I WAS much gratified by your communicative letter on your 

 return from Scotland, where you spent, I find, some considerable 

 time, and gave yourself good room to examine the natural curi- 

 osities of that extensive kingdom, both those of the islands, as 

 well as those of the highlands. The usual bane of such expe- 

 ditions is hurry ; because men seldom allot themselves half the 

 time they should do : but, fixing' on a day for their return, post 

 from place to place, rather as if they were on a journey that re- 

 quired despatch, than as philosophers investigating the works of 

 nature. You must have made, no doubt, many discoveries, and 

 laid up a good fund of materials for a future edition of the Bri- 

 tish Zoology; and will have no reason to repent that you have 

 bestowed so much pains on a part of Great Britain that perhaps 

 was never so well examined before. 



t This is the rufous shrike (lanius rufus) of modern naturalists, by some termed " woodchat." 

 It is an extremely rare summer visitant in this country, but has been known to breed iu Norfolk. 

 -Eo. 



G 



