G4 SUMMER BIRDS OF PASSAGE. 



The new-mown hay that scents the swelling breeze, 

 Or cottage chimney smoking through the trees. 



The chilling night-dews fall : away, retire ; 

 For see, the glow-worm lights her amorous fire! * 

 Thus, ere night's veil had half obscured the sky, 

 Th' impatient damsel hung her lamp on high ; 

 True to the signal, by love's meteor led, 

 Leander hasten'd to his Hero's bed.f 



LETTER XXV. 



TO THE HON. DAINES HARRINGTON. 



SELBORNE, June 30, 1769. 



DEAR SIR, When I was in town last month, I partly 

 engaged that I would some time do myself the honour to 

 write to you on the subject of natural history ; and I am the 

 more ready to fulfill my promise, because I see you are a 

 gentleman of great candour, and one that will make allow- 

 ances, especially where the writer professes to be an out-door 

 naturalist, one that takes his observations from the subject 

 itself, and not from the writings of others. 



The following is a List of the Summer Birds of Passage which 1 

 have discovered in this neighbourhood, arranged somewhat in the 

 order in which they appear : 



RAII NOMINA. USUALLY APPEARS ABOUT 



). Wryneck, Yunx, *. torquOla. { ^"h' nt/ ^^ 



2. Smallest willow- ( Regulus non crista- /March 23: chirps till 



wren, \ tus. \ September. 



3. Swallow, Hirundo domestica. April 13. 



4. Marten, Hirundo rustica. Ditto. 



5. Sand-marten, Hirunda riparia. Ditto. 



6. Black-cap, Atricapilla. Ditto : a sweet wild note. 



7. Nightingale, JLuscinia. Beginning of April. 



8. Cuckoo, Cuculus. ^Middle of April. 



9. Middle willow- f Itegulus non crista- f Ditto : a sweet plaintive 



wren, \ tus. \ note. 



10. White-throat, Ficed^ affinis. 



11. Redstart, Ruticilla. ^ more a S reeabIe 



* The light of the female glow-worm (as she often crawls up the stalk 

 of a grass to make herself more conspicuous) is a signal to the male, which 

 is a slender, dusky scarabceus. 



f See the story of Hero and Leandei . 



