GILBERT WHITE AND HIS SUSSEX CONNECTIONS. 447 



their legs, and probably finding worms and larvae that are roused 

 by the tramping of their feet. Nature is such an economist that 

 the most incongruous animals can avail themselves of each other! 

 Interest makes strange friendships." Eingmer, Aug. 28th : 

 " The Tortoise eats voraciously ; is particularly fond of kidney 

 beans. Chilgrove, Aug. 30 : Mr. Woods, of Chilgrove, thinks he 

 improves his flock by turning the east country poll-rams amongst 

 his horned ewes. The east country sheep have shorter legs and 

 finer wool, and black faces and spotted forelegs, and a tuft of wool 

 in their foreheads. Much corn of all sorts still abroad. Was 

 wetted through on the naked downs, near Parham Ash [query, 

 where is this ?] . Some Cuckows remain. Nov. 30 : Mrs. Snookes' 

 old Tortoise, at Eingmer, went underground." With regard to 

 the entry of Mr. Woods and the South Down sheep, I have 

 ventured in the ' History of Harting,' p. 208 (1877), to state that 

 Gilbert White's facts concerning the South Downs were mainly 

 collected in the neighbourhood of Harting. The reviewers, who 

 were in the main very kindly, suggested that all the facts about 

 the South Down sheep were collected by G. White at Eingmer, 

 Lewes, judging from the dates of the " letters " ; but the diary 

 proves that Mr. Woods was the informant, and therefore my text 

 was strictly true, and the inference of the reviewers wrong. 



1777. This year an entry is made which shows that Gilbert 

 White's observations ranged over a wide district of our neigh- 

 bourhood. " On July 29th such vast rains fell about Iping, 

 Bramshott, Haslemere, &c, that they tore vast holes in the 

 turnpike roads, covered several meadows, carried away part of the 

 county bridge at Iping, and the garden walls of the paper mill, 

 and endangered mill and house. A paper mill was ruined at 

 Haslemere ; a post-boy drowned, and another as he was passing 

 from Alton to Farnham. The gent, in the chaise saved himself 

 by swimming. These torrents were local, and were not felt at 

 Lewes." Under date Sept. 15th White notes the migration of 

 Crossbills at Eingmer. He stays Sept. 15th at Shopwick, near 

 Chichester, and Sept. 19th at Chilgrove. 



There is a kind of cadence in the lovely passage on Farnham 

 bells, he^ard at Moreland, March 10th, 1793, and reminding one 

 of Moore's " Sweet evening bells," "And so 'twill be when I am 

 gone." It will probably be a locus classicus to the admirers of 

 Gilbert White. " The sweet peal of bells" at Farnham heard up 



