SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



69 



GILBERT WHITE'S HOUSE. 

 By Edward A. Martin. 



'"PHE house in which the father of British 

 popular naturalists lived and died, is situated 

 in the village street of Selborne, in Hampshire, 

 about a hundred yards beyond the " Plestor " or 

 playground, which White has described in one of 

 his early letters. As approach is made to the 

 village from Alton, one crosses, at the entrance to 

 the village, a little stream which, meandering down 

 "The Lithe," joins the stream which crosses the 

 other end of the village, known as the Bourne. The 

 latter at its source is familiar to all lovers of 

 Gilbert White as the "Well-Head," and from this 

 the water-supplies of the village are still drawn. The 

 church and vicarage stand on rising ground above 

 the first-mentioned stream, on the left-hand side of 

 the road as one enters the village, the "Plestor" 

 touching the churchyard close to the yew-tree of 

 ever-green memory. 



" The Wakes," Gilbert White's house, stands on 

 the opposite side of the road, a few paces beyond. 

 The wall of the narrow front garden is flush with 

 the village street. This low wall is not the same 

 as the one so recently as Professor Bell's time. 

 Professor Bell, so well known as the writer of 

 "British Quadrupeds," "British Reptiles," "British 

 Crustacea," etc., lived at "The Wakes" until his 

 death, and exhibited the greatest care in retaining 

 as far as possible the antique appearance of the 

 house. A northern wing was, however, added to 

 the building, otherwise the external appearance of 

 the house is much as it was in White's days. It is 

 fervently to be hoped that no further alterations 

 will be made in it. Gilbert White's sun-dial is 

 still standing at the back on the lawn. The clump 

 of trees under which his summer-house was situated, 

 is still there. The summer-house has gone, but all 

 the way from the house is a narrow foot-path, four 

 bricks wide, by which he used to reach the summer- 

 house to make his observations in all weathers. 

 The path at its termination curls round in the 

 shape of a hook, showing distinctly where was 

 formerly the entrance to the summer-house. It 

 was carefully taken up and relaid in Bell's time. 



To those who know Selborne, it would be a cause 

 of infinite regret to find that the house had been, 

 or was intended to be, rebuilt. Selborne without 

 " The Wakes," would offer no rally ing-point for 

 pilgrims who indeed travel to it from all parts of 

 the world. It might indeed be irksome to a tenant 

 to be constantly showing the house to visitors. 

 Now that opportunity offers, it might become the 

 property of some wealthy society, as suggested 

 by Science-Gossip last month, and placed in 

 charge of a caretaker. A strong protest must be 

 raised against any spoliation of such a national 

 inheritance. 



THE VALUE OF SPECIMENS. 



HPHERE was an important sale of birds' eggs 

 and nests at Stevens' Auction Rooms, Covent 

 Garden, London, on April the 22nd and 23rd, in 

 which was included a skin and an egg of the great 

 auk, from the collection of the late Sir William 

 Milner, Bart. The skin had recently been re- 

 stuffed, and was found to be in good condition and 

 summer plumage. The earlier bidding was active, 

 but at last the auctioneer announced, after 150 

 guineas, " that as the reserve has not been reached, 

 I now make a bid of 360 guineas on behalf of 

 Sir F. Milner," therefore the specimen was with- 

 drawn. About eighty skins of the great auk are 

 known to exist, twenty-four being in Britain. 

 The great auk's egg sold for the comparatively low 

 price of 180 guineas, and was purchased by an 

 enterprising proprietor of a London tavern, for the 

 purpose of gracing his bar and attracting customers. 

 An egg of JEpyomis maximus sold for 36 guineas. Odd 

 bones of the great auk went for £1 5s. ; odd bones 

 of the dodo, 12s. ; some bones of the moa, £1 5s. 

 The two days' sale was, with some few exceptions, 

 devoted to the collection of Mr. Leopold Field, 

 F.R.S.E., comprising many rare nests and eggs. 

 The following are prices some of the lots of eggs 

 reached : — Four American goshawks, £1 10s. ; four 

 goshawks, 10s. ; two peregrines, 10s. ; one kite, 13s, ; 

 three peregrines, £i 2s, ; four ditto, £1 4s. ; two 

 honey buzzards (New Forest), £2 15s. ; two ditto 

 (New Forest), £3 15s. ; two ditto (New Forest), £3 ■ 

 two ditto (Yorkshire), £1 4s. ; one ditto (Silesia), a 

 nearly white variety, £1 2s. The lots of t-.venty- 

 two Egyptian vultures from Southern Spain sold 

 at from 8s. to 10s. per egg. Fourteen eggs of 

 golden eagle (including two from Spout Rock, 

 Sutherland), £6; two from Argyleshire, £6 ; two 

 from Blackford, Sutherland, £6 10s. ; one Argyle- 

 shire, £2 10s. ; one Arran, £2 15s. ; three swallow- 

 tailed kite's, £7 7s. ; another specimen, £3. 

 Osprey's sold at about 10s. per egg ; one Sabine's 

 gull, £1 12s. 6d. ; one Pomatorhine skua, £1 10s. ; 

 one grey plover egg (taken with parents in Siberia, 

 by Mr. Harvey-Brown), £6 6s. ; eight picked 

 varieties of red grouse, £5 ; nest and two eggs, 

 swallow-tailed kite, £6 16s. 6d. The above prices 

 are among the highest ; the rank and file of the 

 eggs and nests sold at about ordinary auction prices, 

 which were not high, being in many cases about 3s. 

 per nest and clutch of eggs, in glass-topped box. 



Sale of Gilbkkt White's Selborne MS — 

 The author's autograph manuscript of Gilbert 

 White's " Natural History and Antiquities of 

 Selborne " was sold by auction in London on 

 April 26th. It contains many passages not in the 

 printed editions, and has never been out of the 

 possession of the family. Bidding commenced at 

 /210 and stopped at ^294, at which price it became 

 the property of Mr. Pearson, the underbidder 

 being Mr. Snowden. 



