NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 51 



species of reptiles, unless it be by the various species, or 

 rather varieties, of our Lacert% of which Kay enumerates 

 five. I have not had opportunity of ascertaining these ; 

 but remember well to have seen, formerly, several beautiful 

 green Lacerti on the sunny sandbanks near Farnham, in 

 Surrey ; and Ray admits there are such in Ireland. 



LETTER XVIII. 



Selborne, July 21th, 1768. 



I RECEIVED your obliging and communicative letter of June 

 28th, while I was on a visit at a gentleman's house, where 

 I had neither books to turn to, nor leisure to sit down, to 

 return you an answer to many queries, which I wanted to 

 resolve in the best manner that I am able. 



A person, by my order, has searched our brooks, but 

 could find no such fish as the Gasterosteus pungitius ; he 

 found the Gasterosteus aculeatus in plenty. This morning, 

 in a basket, I packed a little earthen pot full of wet moss, 

 and in it some sticklebacks, male and female ; the females 

 big with spawn : some lamperns ; some bull's heads ; but I 

 could procure no minnows. This basket will be in Fleet 

 Street by eight this evening ; so I hope Mazel will have 

 them fresh and fair to-morrow morning. I gave some 

 directions, in a letter, to what particulars the engraver 

 should be attentive. 



Finding, while I was on a visit, that I was within a 

 reasonable distance of Ambresbury, I sent a servant over 

 to that town, and procured several living specimens of 



