OF SELBORNE. 545 



pollard oaks and sycamore last summer, has got a great 

 range of chestnut-paling ; I shall tell him what Mr. Kent 

 says respecting timber of that sort. The rain with us in 

 1791 was 44 in. 93 hund., upwards of 8 inches of which fell 

 in November ! the rain of the present year has been con- 

 siderable. Our indications of spring this year are thus: 

 Jan. 19, Winter Aconite blows; Jan. 21, Hepaticas blow ; 

 Jan. 29, Snowdrop blows; 31, Hazels; Feb. 4, Crocus blows; 

 13, Brimstone Butterfly ; 21, Yellow Wagtail appears ; 26, 

 Humble Bee; March 16, Daffodil blows, and Apricot; 19, 

 Peaches and Nectarines. I have read BoswelPs " Johnson" 

 with pleasure. As to Bishop Home I knew him well for 

 near forty years, he has often been at my house. Stilling- 

 fleet, I see, wrote his " Calendar of Flora/' at your house; 

 he speaks in high terms of the hospitable treatment that he 

 experienced at Stratton. 1 



Wonderful is the regularity observed by nature ! I have 

 often remarked that the smallest willow wren (see my Book), 

 called here the Chif-chaf, from its two loud sharp notes, is 

 always the first spring bird of passage, and that it is heard 

 usually on March 20, 2 when behold, as I was writing this very 

 page, my servant looked in at the parlour door, and said 

 that a neighbour had heard the Chif-chaf this morning! ! 

 These are incidents that must make the most indifferent look 

 on the works of the Creation with wonder ! 



My old tortoise lies under my laurel hedge, and seems as 

 yet to be sunk in profound slumbers. 3 You surprise me, 

 when you mention your age : your neat hand and accurate 

 language would make one suppose you were not fifty. I re- 

 main, with true esteem, 



Your most obliged servant, 



GIL. WHITE. 



1 See the first letter of the present series, and note 2, p. 533. ED. 



2 The substance of this remark will be found already published in the 

 "Observations on Birds" (p. 334), under the head of "Chiff-chaff:' 

 ED. 



3 See p. 542, note 1. ED. 



N X 



