60 THE NATUKAL HISTORY 



of Ray's Synop. Quadr. is an innocuous and sweet animal ; but, 

 when pressed hard by dogs and men, it can eject such a most 

 pestilent and fetid smell and excrement, that nothing can be 

 more homble. 



A gentleman sent me lately a fine specimen of the lanhts minor 

 cinerascens cum macidd in scapulis alba, Raii ; ^ which is a bird that, 

 at the time of your publishing your two first volumes of British 

 Zoology, I find you had not seen. You have described it well 

 from Edwards's drawing. 



LETTER XXVI. 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, December 8, 1769. 



Dear Sir, 



I WAS much gratified by your communicative letter on your return 

 from Scotland, where you spent, I find, some considerable time, 

 and gave yourself good room to examine the natural curiosities of 

 that extensive kingdom, both those of the islands, as well as those 

 of the highlands. The usual bane of such expeditions is hurry ; 

 because men seldom allot themselves half the time they should 

 do : but, fixing on a day for their return, post from place to 

 place, rather as if they were on a journey that required dispatch, 

 than as philosophers investigating the works of nature. You 

 must have made, no doubt, many discoveries, and laid up a good 

 fund of materials for a future edition of the British Zoology ; and 

 will have no reason to repent that you have bestowed so much pains 

 on a part of Great-Britain that perhaps was never so well examined 

 before. 



It has always been matter of wonder to me that fieldfares, 

 which are so congenerous to thrushes and blackbirds, should 

 never chuse to breed in England : but that they should not think 

 even the highlands cold and northerly, and sequestered enough, 

 is a circumstance still more strange and wonderful. The ring- 

 ousel, you find, stays in Scotland the whole year round ; so that 

 we have reason to conclude that those migrators that visit us for 

 a short space every autumn do not come from thence. 



And here, I think, will be the proper place to mention that 



^[Probably the woodchat shrike {Lanius pomeranus, Sparrm.), but it is curious 

 that White does not mention the red crown and nape of this beautiful bird.] 



