106 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



uses a little inward wailing note when it thinks its young 

 in danger from cats or other annoyances : it breeds but 

 once, and retires early. 



Selborne parish alone can and has exhibited at times 

 more than half the birds that are ever seen in all Sweden ; 

 the former has produced more than one hundred and 

 twenty species, the latter only two hundred and twenty- 

 one. Let me add also that it has shown near half the 

 species that were ever known in Great Britain.* 



On a retrospect, I observe that my long letter carries 

 with it a quaint and magisterial air, and is very sen- 

 tentious : but, when I recollect that you requested stric- 

 ture and anecdote, I hope you will pardon the didactic 

 manner for the sake of the information it may happen to 

 contain. 



LETTER XL I 



It is matter of curious inquiry to trace out how those 

 species of soft-billed birds, that continue with us the 

 winter through, subsist during the dead months. The 

 imbecility of birds seems not to be the only reason why 

 they shun the rigour of our winters ; for the robust wry- 

 neck (so much resembling the hardy race of wood-peckers) 

 migrates, while the feeble little golden-crowned wren, that 

 shadow of a bird, braves our severest frosts without avail- 

 ing himself of houses or villages, to which most of our 

 winter birds crowd in distressful seasons, while this keeps 

 aloof in fields and woods ; but perhaps this may be the 

 reason why they may often perish, and why they are 

 almost as rare as any bird we know. 



I have no reason to doubt but that the soft-billed birds, 

 which winter with us, subsist chiefly on insects in their 



• Sweden, 221 ; Great Britain, 252 species. 



