OF SELBOENE 97 



on some birds concerning the continuation of whose song I seem 

 at present to have some doubt. 



I am, &c. 



LETTER II. 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, Nov. 2, 1769. 

 DEAR SIR, 



WHEN I did myself the honour to write to you about the end of 

 last June on the subject of natural history, I sent you a list of the 

 summer-birds of passage which I have observed in this neighbour- 

 hood ; and also a list of the winter-birds of passage : I mentioned 

 besides those soft-billed birds that stay with us the winter through 

 in the south of England, and those that are remarkable for singing 

 in the night. 



According to my proposal, I shall now proceed to such birds 

 (singing birds strictly so called) as continue in full song till after 

 Midsummer ; and shall range them somewhat in the order in which 

 they first begin to open as the spring advances. 1 



RAII NOMINA. 



In January, and continues to 

 sing through all the summer 

 and autumn. 



Scng-hrush, 



autumn. 



3. Wren, Passer troglodytes : All the year, hard frost excepted. 



4. Redbreast, Rubecula: Ditto. 



5. Hedge-sparrow, Curruca : { F^uary to July the 



(Early in February, and on 

 through July to August the 

 2 1 St. 



7. Skylark, Alauda vulgaris : In February, and on to October. 



8. Swallow, Hirundo domestica : From April to September. 



9. Black-cap, Atricapilla : Beginning of Apriltojulyi 3th. 



10. Titlark,' Alauda pratorum : {** ^ dle of A ** 1 to W 



1 [The list that follows seems to be the result of only one year's observation, as we 

 may gather from the first paragraph of the next letter. The same method carried 

 over a series of years would no doubt have modified some of the results here given 

 as to dates, etc.] 



2 [The meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis, L. ). White does not distinguish between 

 this and the tree pipit (Anthus trivialis, L.).] 



7 



