OF SELBORNE 27 



A little yellow bird (it is either a species of the alauda 

 trivialis, or rather perhaps of the motacilla trochilus) still 

 continues to make a sibilous shivering noise in the tops of 

 tall woods. The stoparola of Ray (for which we have as 

 yet no name in these parts) is called, in your Zoology, the 

 fly-catcher. There is one circumstance characteristic of 

 this bird, which seems to have escaped observation, and 

 that is, that it takes its stand on the top of some stake or 

 post, from whence it springs forth on its prey, catching a 

 fly in the air, and hardly ever touching the ground, but 

 returning still to the same stand for many times together. 



I perceive there are more than one species of the motacilla 

 trochilus : Mr. Derham supposes, in Ray's Philos. Letters, 

 that he has discovered three. In these there is again an 

 instance of some very common birds that have as yet no 

 English name. 



Mr. StiUingfleet makes a question whether the black-cap 

 {motacilla atricapilla) be a bird of passage or not : I think 

 there is no doubt of it : for, in April, in the very first fine 

 weather, they come trooping, all at once, into these parts, 

 but are never seen in the winter. They are delicate songsters. 



Numbers of snipes breed every summer in some moory 

 ground on the verge of this parish. It is very amusing to 

 see the cock bird on wing at that time, and to hear his 

 piping and humming notes, 



I have had no opportunity yet of procuring any of those 

 mice which I mentioned to you in town. The person that 

 brought me the last says they are plenty in harvest, at 

 which time I will take care to get more ; and will endeavour 

 to put the matter out of doubt, whether it be a non-descript 

 species or not. 



I suspect much there may be two species of water-rats. 

 Ray says, and Linnaeus after him, that the water-rat is web- 

 footed behind. Now I have discovered a rat on the banks 

 of our little stream that is not web-footed, and yet is an 

 excellent swimmer and diver : it answers exactly to the 

 mus amphibius of Linnaeus (See Syst. Nat.) which he says 

 *' natat in fossis et urinatur^ I should be glad to procure 

 one " plantis palmatis." Linnaeus seems to be in a puzzle 



