488 THE PHILOSOPHY 



8. The wood-pigeon, Mr White, without mentioning either the 

 time of their appearing or difappearing, tells us, that ' they feldom 

 ' appear till late ; nor in fuch plenty as formerly *.' 



9. The vvild-fwan. During hard winters, this bird frequents the 

 coafts of Britain in large flocks ; but, from any information we have 

 been able to obtain, it does not breed in our ifland. Martin, in his 

 Hiftory of the Hebrides, or Weflern Ifles f, informs us, that wild 

 fwans arrive in great numbers in Lingey, one of the Hebrides, in the 

 month of Odober, and remain there till March, when they retire 

 more northward to breed. For this purpofe, the fwans, like moft 

 other water- fowls, prefer fuch places as are leaft frequented by man- 

 kind. During fummer, the lakes, marflies, and forefts of Lapland 

 are filled with myriads of water-fowls. In that northern region, 

 fwans, geefe, the duck tribe, goofandeis, divers, &c. pafs the fum- 

 mer ; but in autumn they return to us, and to other more hofpitable 

 fiiores J. 



10. The wildgoofe. The wild geefe, it is probable, breed in the 

 retired regions of the north. They arrive here in the beginning of 

 winter, and frequently feed on our corn grounds. They fly at a 

 great h&ighth, and obferve regularity in their movements. They 

 fometimes form a flraight line ; and, at others, they aflTume the ftiape 

 of a wedge, which facilitates their progrefs through the refifting air. 



With regard to the wild- duck, pochard, wigeon, and teal, though 

 Mr White places them in the lift of birds of palTage, he does not 

 mention either the times of tJieir arrival or departure. Though it 



be 



* White's Natural Hlftoi-y of Se'.borne, pag. 117. 



t Defaipt'on of the Weflern Ifles, pag. 71. 



i Linn. Flora Lapponlca, pag. 273. Oeuvres de Maupertuis, torn. 3. pag. 141. 



