LETTER XIX 



TO THE SAME 



SELBORNE, Feb. i^th, 1774. 



DEAR SIR, I received your favour of the eighth, and 

 am pleased to find that you read my little history of the 

 swallow with your usual candour ; nor was I the less 

 pleased to find that you made objections where you saw 

 reason. 



As to the quotations, it is difficult to say precisely which 

 species of hirundo Virgil might intend in the lines in 

 question, since the ancients did not attend to specific 

 differences like modern naturalists : yet somewhat may 

 be gathered, enough to incline me to suppose that in the 

 two passages quoted the poet had his eye on the swallow. 



In the first place the epithet garrula suits the swallow 

 well, who is a great songster, and not the martin, which is 

 rather a mute bird ; and when it sings is so inward as 

 scarce to be heard. Besides, if tignum in that place signifies 

 a rafter rather than a beam, as it seems to me to do, then 

 I think it must be the swallow that is alluded to, and not 

 the martin, since the former does frequently build within 

 the roof against the rafters ; while the latter always, as 

 far as I have been able to observe, builds without the 

 roof against the eaves and cornices. 



As to the simile, too much stress must not be laid on 

 it ; yet the epithet nigra speaks plainly in favour of the 

 swallow, whose back and wings are very black ; while the 

 rump of the martin is milk-white, its back and wings blue, 

 and all its under part white as snow. Nor can the clumsy 

 motions (comparatively clumsy) of the martin well represent 



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