58 The Natural History 



Though I must not pretend to great skill in entomology, 

 yet I cannot say that I am ignorant of that kind of know- 

 ledge : I may now and then, perhaps, be able to furnish 

 you with a little information. 



The vast rains ceased with us much about the same 

 time as with you, and since we have had delicate weather. 

 Mr. Barker, who has measured the rain for more than 

 thirty years, says, in a late letter, that more has fallen this 

 year than in any he ever attended to ; though, from July 

 1 763 to January 1764, more fell than in any seven months 

 of this year. 



LETTER XXIII 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIRE 



Selborne, February 28, 1769. 



Dear Sir, 

 It is not improbable that the Guernsey lizard and our 

 green lizard may be specifically the same ; all that I 

 know is, that, when some years ago many Guernsey 

 lizards were turned loose in Pembroke college garden, 

 in the University of Oxford, they lived a great while, and 

 seemed to enjoy themselves very well, but never bred. 

 Whether this circumstance will prove anything either way 

 I shall not pretend to say. 



I return you thanks for your account of Cressi-hall ; 

 but recollect, not without regret, that in June 1746 I was 

 visiting for a week together at Spalding, without ever 

 being told that such a curiosity was just at hand. Pray 

 send me word in your next what sort of tree it is that 

 contains such a quantity of herons' nest ; and whether 

 the heronry consists of a whole grove or wood, or only of 

 a few trees. 



It gave me satisfaction to find that we accorded so 

 well about the caprbnulgits : all I contended for was to 

 prove that it often chatters sitting as well as flying ; and 

 therefore the noise was voluntary, and from organic im- 



