of Selborne 73 



of every couple of partridges upon his grounds ; supposing 

 that the rivahy of many males interrupted the breed : he 

 used to say, that, though he had widowed the same hen 

 several times, yet he found she was still provided with a 

 fresh paramour, that did not take her away from her 

 usual haunt. 



Again ; I knew a lover of setting, an old sportsman, 

 who has often told me that soon after harvest he has 

 frequently taken small coveys of partridges, consisting of 

 cock-birds alone; these he pleasantly used to call old 

 bachelors. 



There is a propensity belonging to common house-cats 

 that is very remarkable ; I mean their violent fondness 

 for fish, which appears to be their most favourite food : 

 and yet nature in this instance seems to have planted in 

 them an appetite that, unassisted, they know not how to 

 gratify : for of all quadrupeds cats are the least disposed 

 towards water ; and will not, when they can avoid it, 

 deign to wet a foot, much less to plunge into that 

 element. 



Quadrupeds that prey on fish are amphibious : such is 

 the otter, which by nature is so well formed for diving, 

 that it makes great havoc among the inhabitants of the 

 waters. Not supposing that we had any of those beasts 

 in our shallow brooks, I was much pleased to see a male 

 otter brought to me, weighing twenty-one pounds, that 

 had been shot on the bank of our stream below the 

 Priory, where the rivulet divides the parish of Selborne 

 from Harteley-wood. 



LETTER XXX 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIRE 



Selborne, Auj^. i, 1770. 



Dear Sir, 

 The French, I think, in general, are strangely prolix 

 in their natural history. What Linnceus says with respect 



