over, it may not be amiss to add in this place, that 

 whenever the thermometer is above 50° the bat 

 comes flitting out in every autumnal and winter 

 month. 



From all these circumstances laid together, it is 

 obvious that torpid insects, reptiles, and quadru- 

 peds, are awakened from their profoundest slum- 

 bers by a little untimely warmth ; and therefore 

 that nothing so much promotes this death-like stu- 

 por as a defect of heat. And farther, it is reason- 

 able to suppose that two whole species, or at least 

 many individuals of those two species, of British 

 hirundmes, do never leave this island at all, but par- 

 take of the same benumbed state : for we cannot 

 suppose that, after a month's absence, house-martins 

 can return from southern regions to appear for 

 one morning in November, or that house-swallows 

 should leave the districts of Africa to enjoy in 

 March the transient summer of a couple of days. 



Selborne, Nov. 22, 1777. 



LETTER LXXIX. 



To THE Honourable Daines Barrington. 



There was in this village several years ago a 



miserable pauper, who, from his birth, was afflicted 



with a leprosy, as far as we are aware, of a singular 

 23 83 



