444 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Stone Curlews) have cried here within these few days. Haws fail 

 here. An imperfect rainbow in the fog ; a more vivid one on the 

 dewy grass. Grey Crows near Southwick. Mr. Woods saw many 

 Eedwings about the 31st October. Nov. 2 : Mrs. Snooke's Tor- 

 toise begins to hide himself for the winter." This is the first 

 mention of " Timothy," the immortal Tortoise, who lived fifty- 

 four years, fourteen of which were spent at Selborne. " Nov. 1 : 

 Mrs. Snooke's Tortoise begins to scrape a hole in the ground for 

 laying up. The vale of Bramber and the river enveloped in a 

 vast fog; the downs were clear. Three House Swallows, Nov. 4, 

 at Newhaven, mouth of the Lewes river, flying briskly ; and 

 Phyteuma orbicularis ('the Pride of Sussex') in bloom on downs 

 south of Lewes. Nov. 8 : few petrifactions about Ringmer and 

 Lewes. Ringmer soil not clay at top, but brick-loam ; bears good 

 apples, pears and grapes, the clay under which holds water like a 

 dish. The trees are mostly elms. Nov. 11 : Tortoise comes out 

 in the sun about noon, but soon returns to his work of digging a 

 hole to retire to. Nov. 13 : saw sixteen Fork-tailed Kites at once 

 on the downs. An epidemic disease amongst the dogs in Sussex, 

 which proves fatal to many ; they pine away and die moping. 

 Chilgrove, Nov. 15 : Tortoise at Ringmer had not finished his 

 hybernaculum, being interrupted by the sunny weather, which 

 tempted him out." 



1772. This was the year in which the explosion of the powder 

 mills at Hounslow " shook the windows at Selborne, Jan. 6." 

 " May 21 : at Midhurst and Findon, en route for Brighton and 

 Ringmer next day. Tortoise eats. Flycatcher appears." From 

 this visit Gilbert White returned via Arundel and Chilgrove to 

 Selborne, where he arrived on June 6th. 



1773. December 1st, Chilgrove: "Birds on the downs are 

 Rooks, Larks, Stonechats, Kites, Gulls, some Fieldfares, some 

 Hawks. Not one Wheatear to be seen on the downs yet." They 

 were, of course, absent on winter migration. " Grubs of Scara- 

 bceus solstitialis abound on the downs ; the Rooks dig them out. 

 On what do they feed when they come forth ? for there are no 

 trees on the South Downs. The county of Sussex abounds in 

 turnips. The Tortoise in Mrs. Snooke's garden went underground 

 Nov. 21st; came out on 30th for one day, and retired to the same 

 hole ; lies in a wet border in mud and mire ! with its back bare. 

 In the late floods the water at Houghton went over the clappers, 

 and at Bramber into men's ovens. Dec. 11: flocks of Chaffinches 



