

OF SELBORNE. 249 



The curious Reaumur discovered the large eggs, or 

 rather pupce, of these flies, as big as the flies themselves, 

 which he hatched in his own bosom. Any person that 

 will take the trouble to examine the old nests of either 

 species of swallows may find in them the black shining 

 cases or skins of the pupce of these insects : but for 

 other particulars, too long for this place, we refer the 

 reader to L'Histoire des Insectes of that admirable 

 entomologist, torn. iv. pi. 31. 



LETTER XVI. 



TO THE SAME. 

 DEAR SIR, SELBORNE, Nov. 20, 1773. 



IN obedience to your injunctions I sit down to give you 

 some account of the house martin or martlet; and, if 

 my monography of this little domestic and familiar bird 

 should happen to meet with your approbation, I may 

 probably soon extend my inquiries to the rest of the 

 British Hirundines the swallow, the swift, and the 

 bank martin. 



A few house martins begin to appear about the 16th 

 of April ; usually some few days later than the swal- 

 low. For some time after they appear, the Hirundines 

 in general pay no attention to the business of nidifica- 

 tion, but play and sport about either to recruit from the 

 fatigue of their journey, if they do migrate at all, or else 

 that their blood may recover its true tone and texture 

 after it has been so long benumbed by the severities of 



obtained from the flanks of one horse six handfuls, which consisted of 

 upwards of a hundred specimens. He adds, " Mr. Bentley informs me, 

 from observations he made in the summer of 1818, while in Hampshire, 

 that the Hippoboscce are found in a considerably greater abundance on 

 white and light-coloured horses than on those of a black and dark colour ; 

 and this observation was confirmed by the stable-keepers in the vicinity 

 of the Forest." E. T. B. 



