of Selborne 29 



continues to make a sibilous shivering noise in the tops of 

 tall woods. The stopajvla of Ray (for which we have as 

 yet no name in these parts) is called, in your Zoology, the 

 fly-catcher. There is one circumstance characteristic of 

 this bird, which seems to have escaped observation, and 

 that is, that it takes its stand on the top of some stake or 

 post, from whence it springs forth on its prey, catching a 

 fly in the air, and hardly ever touching the ground, but 

 returning still to the same stand for many times together. 



I perceive there are more than one species of the 

 motacilla trochihts : Mr. Derham supposes, in Ray's 

 Philos. Letters, that he has discovered three. In these 

 there is again an instance of some very common birds 

 that have as yet no English name. 



Mr. Stillingfleet makes a question whether the black- 

 cap {i7iotacilla atricapilld) be a bird of passage or not : I 

 think there is no doubt of it : for, in April, in the very first 

 fine weather, they come trooping, all at once, into these 

 parts, but are never seen in the winter. They are delicate 

 songsters. 



Numbers of snipes breed every summer in some moory 

 ground on the verge of this parish. It is very amusing to 

 see the cock bird on wing at that time, and to hear his 

 piping and humming notes. 



I have had no opportunity yet of procuring any of those 

 mice which I mentioned to you in town. The person 

 that brought me the last says they are plenty in harvest, 

 at which time I will take care to get more ; and will en- 

 deavour to put the matter out of doubt, whether it be a 

 nondescript species or not. 



I suspect much there may be two species of water-rats. 

 Ray says, and Linnaeus after him, that the water-rat is 

 web-footed behind. Now I have discovered a rat on the 

 banks of our little stream that is not web-footed, and yet is 

 an excellent swimmer and diver : it answers exactly to the 

 771US a77iphibiu5 of Linnaeus (See Syst. Nat.) which he says 

 ^^ natat tTtfossis et ttrtnatur.^' I should be glad to procure 

 one ^^ plantis paimatis." Linnaeus seems to be in a puzzle 

 about his mtis amphibms, and to doubt whether it differs 

 from his mus terrestris ; which if it be, as he allows, the 



