84 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



spend their winters under the warm and sheltery shores 

 of Gibraltar and Barbary. 



Scopoli's characters of his ordines and genera are clear, 

 just, and expressive, and much in the spirit of Linnseus. 

 These few remarks are the result of my first perusal of 

 Scopoli's Annus Primus. \ 



The bane of our science is the comparing one animal to 

 the other by memory : for want of caution in this particular 

 Scopoli falls into errors : he is not so full with regard to 

 the manners of his indigenous birds as might be wished, 

 as you justly observe : his Latin is easy, elegant, and 

 expressive, and very superior to Kramer's."^ 



I am pleased to see that my description of the moose 

 corresponds so well with yours. 



LETTER XXXIII. 



Selboene, Nov. 2Qth, 1770. 



I WAS much pleased to see, among the collection of birds 

 from Gibraltar, some of those short-winged English summer 

 birds of passage concerning whose departure we have made 

 so much inquiry. Now, if these birds are found in 

 Andalusia to migrate to and from Barbary, it may easily be 

 supposed that those that come to us may migrate back to the 

 Continent, and spend their winters in some of the warmer 

 parts of Europe. This is certain, that many soft-billed 

 birds that come to Gibraltar appear there only in spring 



* See his Elenchm Vegetabilium et Animaliuin per Austriam 

 lnfe7'iorem, etc. 



