LETTER XXXII 



TO THE SAME 



SELBORNE, October 29^/4, 1770. 



DEAR SIR, [Your engaging letter of Septem r 29 th came 

 safe to this place : but not finding me at home, it pursued 

 me down to a village near Lewes in Sussex, where I stayed 

 three weeks, & from whence I wrote a long letter to M r - 

 Barrington. 



Tho' I had little or no doubt concerning my Hirundo 

 hyberna, but that it must be the Hir: rupestris of Scopoli : 

 yet I was pleased to have the sanction of y r Judgement, & 

 to find that we so readily concurred. 



Notwithstanding the Quail appears to be a nondescript 

 & a new species ; yet I think it merits farther enquiry : 

 & I shall accordingly desire my Brother to procure 

 more specimens, & to satisfy himself thoro'ly that the 

 back toe is always wanting ; & also to get an old bird of 

 each sex. 



No : 5 : as you say seems also to be a nondescript. It 

 is by no means a cold-finch as I once also thought : for I 

 have several cold-finches by me, which differ widely from 

 this little bird both by having a white spot in their fore- 

 heads, & a white speculum in their wings. The male bird, 

 had it not some white in its tail, resembled most (as far as 

 I can remember) the black-cap. 



In the firstplace M r - Ray classes hisjunco as improperly 



