88 THE NATUEAL HISTOEY 



my no small delight and admiration), draw straws lengthwise from 

 out the eaves of thatched houses, in order to pull out the flies 

 that were concealed between them, and that in such numbers that 

 they quite defaced the thatch, and gave it a ragged appearance. 



The blue titmouse, or nun, is a great frequenter of houses, and 

 a general devourer. Besides insects, it is very fond of flesh ; for 

 it frequently picks bones on dunghills : it is a vast admirer of 

 suet, and haunts butchers' shops. When a boy, I have known 

 twenty in a morning caught with snap mouse-traps, baited with 

 tallow or suet. It will also pick holes in apples left on the 

 gl-ound, and be well entertained with the seeds on the head of 

 a sun-flower. The blue, marsh, and great titmice will, in very 

 severe weather, carry away barley and oat straws from the sides 

 of ricks. 



How the wheat-ear and whin-chat support themselves in winter 

 cannot be so easily ascertained,^ since they spend their time on 

 wild heaths and warrens ; the former especially, where there are 

 stone quarries : most probably it is that their maintenance arises 

 from the aurelim of the lepidopiera ordo, which furnish them with 

 a plentiful table in the wilderness. 



I am, &c. 



LETTER XLII. 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, March 9, 1775. 

 Dear Sir, 



Some future faunist, a man of fortune, will, I hope, extend his 

 visits to the kingdom of Ireland; a new field, and a country 

 little known to the naturalist. He will not, it is to be wished, 

 undertake that tour unaccompanied by a botanist, because the 

 mountains have scarcely been sufficiently examined ; and the 

 southerly counties of so mild an island may possibly afford some 

 plants little to be expected within the British dominions. A 

 person of a thinking turn of mind will draw many just remarks 

 from the modern improvements of that country, both in arts 

 and agriculture, where premiums obtained long before they 

 were heard of with us. The manners of the wild natives, their 



1 [Both the wheatear and the whinchat migrate regularly.] 



