146 NATURAL HISTORY 



more general writers ; and so by degrees 

 may pave the way to an universal correct 

 natural history. Not that Scopoli is so cir- 

 cumstantial and attentive to the life and 

 conversation of his birds as I could wish : 

 he advances some false facts ; as when he 

 says of the hirundourhica that " pullos extra 

 " nidum 7ion nuirit.^' This assertion I know 

 to be wrong from repeated observation this 

 Summer ; for house-martins do feed their 

 young flying, though it must be acknow- 

 ledged not so commonly as the house swal- 

 low ; and the feat is done in so quick a man- 

 ner as not to be perceptible to indifferent 

 observers. He also advances some (I was 

 going to say) improbable facts ; as when he 

 says of the woodcock that ** pullos rostro 

 " portal fugiens ab lioste.'^ But candour for- 

 bids me to say absolutely that any fact is 

 false, because I have never been witness to 

 such a fact. I have only to remark that 

 the long unwieldy bill of the woodcock is 

 perhaps the worst adapted of any among 

 the winged creation for such a feat of na- 

 tural affection. I am, &c. 



