114 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



ance, small head, wings not so blunt, and longer tail. This spe- 

 cimen contained in its craw some limbs of frogs and many gray 

 snails without shells. The irides of the eyes of this bird were of 

 a beautiful bright yellow colour.* 



About the tenth of July in the same summer a pair of sparrow- 

 hawks bred in an old crow's nest on a low beech in the same 

 hanger : and as their brood, which was numerous, began to grow 

 up, became so daring and ravenous, that they were a terror to all 

 the dames in the village that had chickens or ducklings under 

 their care. A boy climbed the tree, and found the young so 

 fledged that they all escaped from him ; but discovered that a 

 good house had been kept : the larder was well stored with pro- 

 visions ; for he brought down a young blackbird, jay, and house- 

 martin, all clean picked, and some half devoured. The old birds 

 had been observed to make sad havoc for some days among the 

 new-flown swallows and martins, which, being but lately out of 

 their nests, had not acquired those powers and command of wing 

 that enable them, when more mature, to set such enemies at 

 defiance. 



LETTER XLIV. To T. PENNANT, Esa. 

 DEAR SIR, Selborne, Nov. 30, 1780. 



EVERY incident that occasions a renewal of our correspondence 

 will ever be pleasing and agreeable to me. 



As to the wild wood-pigeon, the anas, or vinago, of Ray, I am 

 much of your mind ; and see no reason for making it the origin 

 of the common house-dove : but suppose those that have advanced 

 that opinion may have been misled by another appellation, often 

 given to the cenas 9 which is that of stock-dove. 



Unless the stock-dove in the winter varies greatly in manners 

 from itself in summer, no species seems more unlikely to be do- 

 mesticated, and to make a house-dove. We very rarely see the 

 latter settle on trees at all, nor does it ever haunt the woods ; but 

 the former, as long as it stays with us, from November perhaps 

 to February, lives the same wild life with the ring-dove, palumbus 

 torquatus ; frequents coppices and groves, supports itself chiefly 



* This elegant species, intermediate in character between the kites and buzzards, and posses- 

 sing otherwise some peculiarities, is now, together with a few others inhabiting the eastern conti- 

 nent, separated from the genus buteo, and ranged under the denomination pernis- It is of very rare 

 ccurrence in this country. ED. 



