PREFACE. 



allowed of his visit to Selborne being accomplished. 

 Here the wearied spirit sought repose and found 

 it, not in listlessness and inactivity, but in change 

 of scene and of occupation ; for never were his 

 mind or his body more actively employed than 

 during his sojourn in that secluded village. The 

 autumn was unusually prolonged ; the-oak-covered 

 hills and beechen hangers of the district still re- 

 tained their foliage in all the varied hues of that 

 changeful season ; and the sudden transition from 

 the strife and bustle of the town to the peaceful 

 serenity of such scenes as those by which he was 

 here surrounded, rendered him peculiarly alive to 

 their beauties, and deeply impressed him with the 

 infinite superiority of the glorious works of the 

 Creator over the petty objects of the eager and 

 incessant struggles of mankind. 



His letters home were filled with glowing de- 

 scriptions of the picturesque scenes and objects 

 which every where met his eye ; and his first 

 impulse was to request, almost to require, of 

 Mr. Harvey to join him at Selborne, there to de- 

 lineate some of the more striking features of the 

 district, with a view to their introduction into the 

 new edition of the present work. Mr. Harvey 

 promptly responded to the friendly call ; and toge- 

 ther they traversed the neighbourhood in all direc- 

 tions in search of curious or interesting objects, 

 and reaped an ample harvest in return for their 

 grateful toil. But it soon became evident that 

 the materials which they had collected were far 

 too extensive to be used as additions to the work 

 in hand, and they determined on selecting from 



