OF SELBORNE. 169 



I am glad you are making inquiries from Linnaeus con- 

 cerning the woodcock. It is expected of him that he should 

 be able to account for the motions arid manner of life of the 

 animals of his own Fauna. 



Faunists, as you observe, are too apt to acquiesce in bare 

 descriptions and a few synonyms : the reason is plain, be- 

 cause all that may be done at home in a man's study; but 

 the investigation of the life and conversation of animals is 

 a concern of much more trouble and difficulty, and is not to 

 be attained but by the active and inquisitive, and by those 

 that reside much in the country. 



Foreign systematics are, I observe, much too vague in 

 their specific differences, which are almost universally con- 

 stituted by one or two particular marks, the rest of the 

 description running in general terms. But our country- 

 man, the excellent Mr. Eay, is the only describer that 

 conveys some precise idea in every term or word, maintain- 

 ing his superiority over his followers and imitators in 

 spite of the advantages of fresh discoveries and modern 

 information. 



At this distance of years it is not in my power to recol- 

 lect at what periods woodcocks used to be sluggish or alert 

 when I was a sportsman ; but upon my mentioning this 

 circumstance to a friend, he thinks he has observed them to 

 be remarkably listless against snowy foul weather. If this 

 should be the case, then the inaptitude for flying arises 

 only from an eagerness for food, as sheep are observed to be 

 very intent on grazing against stormy wet evenings. 1 



1 Amongst the miscellaneous observations, published by Mr. Jesse 

 from Gilbert White's MS. diary (" Gleanings Nat. Hist.," 2nd series, 

 p. 177) occurs the following: "When horses, cows, sheep, deer, &c., 

 feed in wind and rain, they always keep their heads down the wind 

 and their tails to the weather ; but birds always perch and choose to 

 fly with their heads to the weather, to prevent the wind from ruffling 

 their feathers, and the cold and wet from penetrating to their skins." 



ED. 



