NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 167 



in strings for a mile together as they went out in a 

 morning to feed. They leave us early in spring : where 

 do they breed ? 



The people of Hampshire and Sussex call the missel- 

 bird l the storm-cock, because it sings early in the spring 

 in blowing showery weather ; its song often commences 

 with the year : with us it builds much in orchards. 



A gentleman assures me he has taken the nests of 

 ring-ousels 2 on Dartmoor l they build in banks on the 

 sides of streams. 



Titlarks 3 not only sing sweetly as they sit on trees, 

 but also as they play and toy about on the wing ; and 

 particularly while they are descending, and sometimes 

 when they stand on the ground. 4 



Adansoris testimony 5 seems to me to be a very poor 

 evidence that European swallows migrate during our 

 winter to Senegal', he does not talk at all like an orni- 

 thologist ; and probably saw only the swallows of that 

 country, which I know build within Governor O 'Haras 

 hall against the roof. 6 Had he known European swallows 

 would he not have mentioned the species ? 



The house-swallow washes by dropping into the water 

 as it flies : this species appears commonly about a week 

 before the house - martin, and about ten or twelve days 

 before the swift. 



In 1772 there were young house-martins 7 in their 

 nest till October the twenty-third. 



The swift 8 appears about ten or twelve days later than 

 the house - swallow : viz., about the twenty - fourth or 

 twenty-sixth of April. 



1 British Zoology, vol. i. p. 224. [G. W.] 2 Ibid., p. 229. [G. W.] 

 8 Ibid., p. 207. [G. W.] 



4 Gilbert White must here be partly alluding to the Tree-Pipit (Anthus 

 trivialis). [R. B. S.] 



5 British Zoology, vol. i. p. 242. [G. W.] 



6 This would be the swallow of Senegambia {Hirundo hicida), which is resi- 

 dent there. Our Swallow (ff. rustica) only occurs in West Africa during our 

 winter months. [R. B. S.] 



7 British Zoology, vol. i. p. 244. [G. W.] 8 Ibid., p. 245. [G. W.] 



