72 The Natural History 



LETTER XXIX 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIRE 



Selborne, May 12, 1770. 

 Dear Sir, 



Last month we had such a series of cold turbulent 



weather, such a constant succession of frost, and snow, 



and hail, and tempest, that the regular migration or 



appearance of the summer birds was much interrupted. 



Some did not show themselves (at least were not 



heard) till weeks after their usual time ; as the black-cap 



and white-throat ; and some have not been heard yet, as 



r the grasshopper-lark and largest willow-wren. As tol 



\ the fly-catcher, I have not seen it; it is indeed one of 



(the latest, but should appear about this time : and yet, 



(amidst all this meteorous strife and war of the elements, 



jtwo swallows discovered themselves as long ago as the I 



eleventh of April, in frost and snow ; but they withdrew 



quickly, and were not visible again for many days. 



House-martins, which are always more backward than 



swallows, were not observed till INIay came in. 



I Among the monogamous birds several are to be found, 



I after pairing-time, single, and of each sex : but whether 



this state of celibacy is matter of choice or necessity, is 



not so easily discoverable. When the house-sparrows 



deprive my martins of their nests, as soon as I cause one 



to be shot, the other, be it cock or hen, presently procures 



a mate, and so for several times following. 



"^' I have known a dove-house infested by a pair of white 



owls, which made great havoc among the young pigeons : 



one of the owls was shot as soon as possible ; but the 



survivor readily found a mate, and the mischief went on. 



After some time the new pair were both destroyed, and 



the annoyance ceased. 



Another instance I remember of a sportsman, whose 

 zeal for the increase of his game being greater than his 

 humanity, after pairing-time he always shot the cock-bird 



