THE REV. JOHN WHITE. 31 



My anecdote from Valentia is taken from Willughby's 

 ' Ornithology.' In one of your letters you regret the trouble of 

 transcribing your Fauna. A writing master would take this 

 trouble off your hands for a small sum, but with this dis- 

 advantage, that no man can transcribe his own without seeing 

 places that he can alter for the better ; a benefit which is 

 entirely lost where a stranger is amanuensis. I wish Jack 

 would earn your book ; I mentioned the conditions, at which 

 he smiled. 



Pray return the printed monography without fail. If Mr. 

 Lever desires to see my papers, let him have them ; he is a 

 man of honour, and will not suffer them to be transcribed. I 

 beg his objections and additions. After I have heard from 

 you again I will send your fourth monography with Mr. 

 Willis's receipt &c. 



Lin. still allows your piscis thoracicus to be a new genus ; 

 he should give it a name and you an engraving. When he 

 talks of making honourable mention of you in his future 

 edition you may reply " orna me." 



No doubt the ' Voyage to the Hebrides ' is an entertaining- 

 work ; I have seen the cuts, but not the book *. You should 

 observe when your summer birds come and depart, that we 

 may compare notes. It is a sickly time among young folks, 

 especially in Sussex. Thomas has had a pleurisy, and is not 

 yet recovered so as to do any work. Molly White likes 

 Selborne and looks well. Nanny Woods is very stout and 

 very brown ; she is all day in the sun. 



Wall fruit abounds ; and vines promise to blow well. 



Harry has just lost his best cart horse ; he is most un- 

 fortunate in horse flesh. 



As my little mouse is so common in your parts and pro- 

 bably in all the intermediate, I am amazed that it should be 

 so long a nondescript. 



Printers, I know, some of them get a deal of money ; but 

 their state of apprenticeship must be, I should suppose, very 



* [Johnson's ' Tour to the Western Islands of Scotland,' which took 

 place in the previous autumn, was published only a short time before the 

 date of this letter.— T. R] 



