174 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



shrubs, which, being stunted and bitten by sheep, make 

 the thickest covert imaginable ; and are so entangled as 

 to be impervious to the smallest spaniel ; besides it is the 

 nature of underwood beech never to cast it's leaf all the 

 winter ; so that, with the leaves on the ground and those 

 on the twigs, no shelter can be more complete. I watched 

 them on to the thirteenth and fourteenth of October, and 

 found their evening retreat was exact and uniform ; but 

 after this they made no regular appearance. Now and 

 then a straggler was seen ; and on the twenty-second of 

 October, I observed two in the morning over the village, 

 and with them my remarks for the season ended. 



From all these circumstances put together, it is more 

 than probable that this lingering flight, at so late a season 

 of the year, never departed from the island. Had they 

 indulged me that autumn with a November visit, as I much 

 desired, I presume that, with proper assistants, I should 

 have settled the matter past all doubt ; but though the 

 third of November was a sweet day, and in appearance 

 exactly suited to my wishes, yet not a martin was to be 

 seen ; and so I was forced, reluctantly, to give up the 

 pursuit. 



I have only to add that were the bushes, which cover 

 some acres, and are not my own property, to be grubbed 

 and carefully examined, probably those late broods, and 

 perhaps the whole aggregate body of the house-martins of 

 this district, might be found there, in different secret dormi- 

 tories ; and that, so far from withdrawing, into warmer 

 climes, it would appear that they never depart three 

 hundred yards from the village. 



