i6 4 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



came within my observation. I only saw a few larks and whinchats, 

 some rooks, and several kites and buzzards. 



About Midsummer a flight of cross-bills comes to the pine-groves 

 about this house, but never makes any long stay. 



The old tortoise, that I have mentioned in a former letter, still 

 continues in this garden ; and retired under ground about the 

 twentieth of November, and came out again for one day on the 

 thirtieth : it lies now buried in a wet swampy border under a wall 

 facing to the south, and is enveloped at present in mud and mire ! 



Here is a large rookery round this house, the inhabitants of 

 which seem to get their livelihood very easily ; for they spend the 

 greatest part of the day on their nest-trees when the weather is 

 mild. These rooks retire every evening all the winter from this 

 rookery, where they only call by the way, as they are going to roost 

 in deep woods : at the dawn of day they always revisit their nest- 

 trees, and are preceded a few minutes by a flight of daws, that act, 

 as it were, as their harbingers. 



I am, &c. 



; 



