OF SELBORNE. 51 



Mr. Stilling fleetva^ke^ a question whe- 

 ther the black-cap (motacilla atricapilla) 

 be a bird of passage or not ; I think 

 there is no doubt of it : for, in April, in 

 the first fine weather, they come troop- 

 ing, all at once, into these parts, but are 

 never seen in the Winter. They are 

 delicate songsters. 



Numbers of snipes breed every Sum- 

 mer in some moory ground on the verge 

 of this parish. It is very amusing to 

 see the cock bird on wing at that time, 

 and to hear his piping and humming 

 notes. 



I have had no opportunity yet of pro- 

 curing any of those mice which I men- 

 tioned to you in town. The person that 

 brought me the last says they are plenty 

 in harvest, at which time I will take care 

 to get more ; and will endeavour to put 

 the matter out of doubt, whether it be 

 a non-descript species or not. 



I suspect much there may be two spe- 

 cies of water-rats. i?«y says, and Zzw- 

 ncBus after him, that the water-rat is web- 



e2 



