no NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



plant or insect came before them unascertain'd. One day 

 we shot a Tringa ochrophus, which is a very rare bird in 

 these parts. 1 Mr. Sheffield tells me you have an elegant 

 place at Downing ; large and noble oaks before your house, 

 & beautiful rills and falls of water among them tumbling 

 from slope to slope into the sea. 



At the time that you were to be on your journey, I 

 took notice that we had most beautiful weather here in 

 the south : I hope the same season attended you in the 

 most northerly parts of this kingdom ; & that you are 

 returned safe from Scotland, full fraught with curiosities 

 & a fresh fund of natural knowledge.] 



A gentleman sent me lately a fine specimen of the lanius 

 minor cinerascens cum maculd in scapulis albd Raii; z which 

 is a bird that, at the time of your publishing your two first 

 volumes of British Zoology, I find you had not seen. You 

 have described it well from Edwards' s drawing. 



[There appears a Comet nightly (having a tail of about 

 six degrees in length) in the constellation of Aries, between 

 the 24 : 29 : & 51 stars of that constellation in the English 

 catalogue. 



Having been lately very much hurryed by a good deal 

 of correspondence, & a good deal of other writing I was 

 glad to make use of an Amanuensis. 



I am with the greatest esteem 

 Your most obedient & obliged servant, 

 GIL : WHITE.] 



1 See note, antea, p. 85. [R. B. S.] 



* The Wood-Chat Shrike (Lanius pomeranus) is an occasional visitor to 

 Great Britain, and has even been said to nest in the Isle of Wight. It is distri- 

 buted over the greater part of Europe in summer, and winters in North-east 

 Africa and Senegambia. -[R. B. S.] 



