THE REV. JOHN WHITE. 5 



publication will make a respectable appearance unless you 

 can swell it to somewhat of such a bulk. 



What sorts of Land-tortoises do you find ? when do they 

 come forth, and when do they hide * ? 



Have you no stone-curlews ( Charadrius cedicnemus) ? they 

 certainly leave us for some of the dead months of winter. 



You will, I hope, settle that curious article concerning your 

 winter-martin f. In your letter of November last you seemed 

 to be puzzled, and say " that the winter-martins begin to 

 appear in a different dress : they are blacker on the back, and 

 whiter under the belly than last winter:" and "that you 

 suspect they are the real summer martins now undergoing 

 a change of colour, and possibly intending to winter here in 

 a browner habit." And yet in your letter of April 14 you 

 only say in general, " that you saw (March 23) swallows, 

 martins, and your brown winter-martins all flying together." 

 This most curious article of all your intelligence will not, I 

 hope, remain dubious, and unsettled. 



Sure you must mistake when you say in your Journal, 

 April 15 th , 1769, " that the vines, though their shoots are but 

 6 or 8 inches long, have a good many grapes set." Do you 

 not mistake the buds of bloom for fruit? Vines are late 

 blowers in most climates : they show the rudiments of bloom 

 with us in April ; but do not blow 'til about July 1 : 'til the 

 shoots are two or three feet long. When in bloom they smell 

 sweetly. Are not some of your foxes jackalls (Lupus 

 aureus) ? that animal wants to be better described. 



Don't be too hasty in pronouncing any species a nonde- 

 script. 



Scopoli is very ingenious : he is publishing on birds. 



Mr. Pennant has heard of your pursuits, and desires to pro- 

 mote them. As to fishes, he says you must get Briinnich's 

 history of those of Marseilles ; and Gouan on fish : the last 

 lives at Montpellier. Can't you contrive to correspond with 

 him ? He has written to Mr. Pennant. He expects the 



* [The only species likely to be found in North Africa are Testudo 

 mauritanica and T. marginata. — T. B.] 



t [Hirundo rupestris; see next page. — A. N.] 



