

THE CENTENARY OF GILBERT WHITE. 293 



day, while he was sleeping, these serpents nestled round his head, and 

 when he awoke he found he had a new sense, an understanding of the 

 different languages and chirpings of the birds. Without being far wrong, 

 one might make some comparison between Gilbert White and Melampus. 

 Coming nearer to our own times, less involved in the clouds of pre-historic 

 doubt, St. Francis of Assisi was in some measure the forerunner of Gilbert 

 White. There was a legend that he so loved the birds that they flocked 

 around him while he preached sermons to them. Whether they understood 

 him or not, the old legend at least showed this much — his love for those 

 creatures, and his power of making them love him. These characteristics 

 of Gilbert White could be gathered from his book, but the picture was filled 

 up by a mass of family correspondence which had recently come to light. 

 Mr. Edmund White, his nephew, who knew him very well, spoke of his 

 ' pure character and religious principles. He had the peculiarity of 

 attaching to him all of every age, but particularly young people, who 

 listened with delight to his instructive tales.' This nephew said again, 

 ■ If I were called upon to say in what point he particularly excelled, I think 

 I should say it was his mode of addressing his poor neighbours. His kind, 

 philanthropic and charitable tones towards them, and his humane inquiries, 

 always made them feel that he was their true friend.' Some people thought 

 that White had nothing to attend to but birds, beasts, fishes, and insects ; 

 but that was a great mistake. Mr. Bell summed up the impression which 

 hehad received from all his researches in this way : ■ His life may be truly 

 said to have been passed in the constant and diligent fulfilment of the 

 duties of his holy office continuously from the time of his taking deacon's 

 orders in 1747 till his death in 1793.' " 



After Mr. G. Darwin had proposed " Success to the Selborne 

 Society," the Earl of Stamford proposed " Prosperity to the 

 Hampshire Field Club," and in doing so remarked that 



" During the last few months he had been engaged in the collection 

 of reminiscences and unexplored documents relating to Gilbert White, who 

 was a kinsman of his. Years ago an old woman of Selborne was asked 

 what she remembered of Gilbert White, and answered : ■ He used to walk 

 about the lanes, tap-tapping with his cane, and stopping every now and 

 then to brush the dust from off his shoes.' Gilbert White himself was not 

 quite aware of the early history of his own family. He traced his pedigree 

 back to one John White, of Swan Hall, iu Oxfordshire, but, as a matter of 

 fact, it could be traced back many generations further. He had the best 

 authority for saying that an approximate likeness of White existed in the 

 quarto edition of the • Selborne.' Of the figures represented in the frontis- 

 piece to that edition, that represented as coming out of the tent was Thomas 

 White, and that coming up the hill was Gilbert White. Benjamin White, 



