82 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



amazed that this species should constantly depart so man> 

 months before their congeners. It is worth our remarking 

 that tho' the swift is at its arrival of a dark sootty colour 

 yet by being for 16 hours together almost constantly in th< 

 sun & air, it becomes before its departure much bleached 

 & as it were what the country people call piss-burnt, lik< 

 an old weather-beaten brown wig : & yet it returns soott] 

 again in the spring. Now if they go into warm region 

 during our winter, why do they not return sun-burnt, a; 

 they went off ? It is a matter of curious enquiry to con 

 sider when swifts moult. Change their feathers here the; 

 certainly do not : & if they have as much occasion fo 

 their wings while absent, as while here, they would fin< 

 no opportunity to spare several feathers at a time, 

 would not pretend to lay too much stress on thesi 

 reflections : but certainly can't refrain from observing 

 that they tend rather to make one suspect that they hide 

 rather than migrate ... at least for part of the long tim 

 they are absent from us : and perhaps that at that junctur 

 they moult. 



Hoping for a long and communicative letter soon, 

 I conclude, with great esteem, 



Y r most obedient servant, 



GIL : WHITE. 



P.S. When you have done with M r - Barker's remarks 

 please to return them.] 



