NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 29 



ful winter 1739-40, that cold north-east winds continued 

 to blow on through April and May, and that these kind 

 of birds (what few remained of them) did not depart as 

 usual, but were seen lingering about till the beginning of 

 June. 



The best authority that we can have for the nidifica- 

 tion of the birds above-mentioned in any district, is the 

 testimony of faunists that have written professedly the 

 natural history of particular countries. Now as to the field- 

 fare, Linn&us, in his " Fauna Suecica," says of it, that 

 " maximis in arboribus nidificat ; " and of the redwing he says, 

 in the same place, that " nidificat in mediis arbusculis, sive 

 sepibus : ova sex cceruleo-viridia maculis nigris variis" Hence 

 we may be assured that fieldfares and redwings breed in 

 Sweden. Scopoli says, in his " Annus Primus" of the 

 woodcock, that " nupta ad nos venit circa cequinoctium 

 vernale ; " meaning in Tirol, of which he is a native. And 

 afterwards he adds " nidificat in paludibus alpinis : ova ponit 

 3 5." It does not appear from Kramer that woodcocks 

 breed at all in Austria ; but he says "Avis hac septentrion- 

 alium provinciarum cestivo tempore incola est ; ubi plerumque 

 nidificat. Appropinquante hyeme australiores provincias petit ; 

 hinc circa plenilunium mensis Octobris plerumque Austriam 

 transmigrat. Tune rursus circa plenilunium potissimum mensis 

 Martii per Austriam matrimonio juncta ad septentrionales pro- 

 vincias redit." For the whole passage (which I have 

 abridged) see " Elenchus" &c. p. 351. This seems to be a 

 full proof of the migration of woodcocks ; though little is 

 proved concerning the place of breeding. 



[As yet I have by no means answered the whole of y r 

 last letters : but neither time nor the limits of my paper 

 will permit me to proceed any farther at present. 



With regard to my Andalusian correspondence I am 

 quite at a loss at present ; and want y r friendly advice to 

 direct me whether I may continue writing by the post 

 to Gibraltar or not. Will not these misunderstandings 

 between the two nations interrupt the mail which goes 

 by Madrid down thro' the Southern provinces ? 



