of Selborne 8i 



As far as I am a judge, nothing would recommend 

 entomology more than some neat plates that should well 

 express the generic distinctions of insects according to 

 Linnaeus ; for I am well assured that many people would 

 study insects, could they set out with a more adequate 

 notion of those distinctions that can be conveyed at first 

 by words alone 



LETTER XXXV 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIRE 



Selborne, 1771. 



Dear Sir, 

 Happening to make a visit to my neighbour's peacocks, 

 I could not help observing that the trains of those 

 magnificent birds appear by no means to be their tails; 

 those long feathers growing not from their uropygium, 

 but all up their backs. A range of short brown stiff 

 feathers, about six inches long, fixed in the uropygium^ 

 is the real tail, and serves as the fulcrum to prop the 

 train, which is long and top-heavy, when set on end. 

 When the train is up, nothing appears of the bird before 

 but its head and neck ; but this would not be the case 

 were those long feathers fixed only in the rump, as may 

 be seen by the turkey-cock when in a strutting attitude. 

 By a strong muscular vibration these birds can make the 

 shafts of their long feathers clatter like the swords of a 

 sword-dancer ; they then trample very quick with their 

 feet, and run backwards towards the females. 



I should tell you that I have got an uncommon calculus 

 csgogropila, taken out of the stomach of a fat ox ; it is 

 perfectly round, and about the size of a large Seville 

 orange; such are, I think, usually flat. 



