104 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



tinguishable, but somewhat that seemed like blades of 

 vegetables nearly digested. In autumn they feed on haws 

 and yew-berries, and in the spring on ivy-berries. I dressed 

 one of these birds, and found it juicy and well-flavoured. 

 It is remarkable that they make but a few days stay in 

 their spring visit, but rest near a fortnight at Michaelmas. 

 These birds, from the observations of three springs and two 

 autumns, are most punctual in their return ; and exhibit 

 a new migration unnoticed by the writers, who supposed 

 they never were to be seen in any southern countries. 



One of my neighbours lately brought me a new salicaria, 

 which at first I suspected might have proved your willow- 

 lark, 1 but, on a nicer examination, it answered much better 

 to the description of that species which you shot at 

 Revesby? in Lincolnshire. My bird I describe thus : " It 

 is a size less than the grasshopper-lark ; the head, back, 

 and coverts of the wings, of a dusky brown, without those 

 dark spots of the grasshopper-lark ; over each eye is a 

 milk-white stroke ; the chin and throat are white, and the 

 under parts of a yellowish white ; the rump is tawny, and 

 the feathers of the tail sharp-pointed ; the bill is dusky and 

 sharp, and the legs are dusky ; the hinder claw long and 

 crooked." The person that shot it says that it sung so 

 like a reed-sparrow that he took it for one ; and that it 

 sings all night : but this account merits farther inquiry. 

 For my part, I suspect it is a second sort of locustella, 

 hinted at by Dr. Derham in Ray's Letters : see p. 108. He 

 also procured me a grasshopper-lark. 



The question that you put with regard to those genera 

 of animals that are peculiar to America, viz., how they 

 came there, and whence ? is too puzzling for me to answer ; 

 and yet so obvious as often to have struck me with wonder. 

 If one looks into the writers on that subject little satisfac- 

 tion is to be found. Ingenious men will readily advance 

 plausible arguments to support whatever theory they shall 



1 For this salicaria see letter August 30, 1769. [G.W.] 

 a This was Sir Joseph Banks's place, where apparently Pennant had been 

 staying. [R. B. S.] 



