OF SELBORNE. l63 



twelve days ago, shift their quarters at this 

 late season of the year to the other side of 

 the northern tropic ? Or rather, is it not 

 more probable that the next church, ruin, 

 chalk-cliff, steep covert, or perhaps sand- 

 bank, lake or pool (as a more northern 

 naturalist w^ould say), may become their 

 hyhernaculum^ and afford them a ready and 

 obvious retreat? 



We now begin to expect our vernal mi- 

 gration of ring-ousels every week. Persons 

 worthy of credit assure me that ring-ousels 

 were seen at Christmas 1770 in the forest 

 of Bere, on the southern verge of this 

 county. Hence we may conclude that 

 their migrations are only internal, and not 

 extended to the continent southward, if 

 they do at first come at all from the north- 

 ern parts of this island only, and not from 

 the north of Europe. Come from v^hence 

 they will, it is plain, from the fearless dis- 

 regard that they show for men or guns, 

 that they have been little accustomed to 

 places of much resort. Navigators men- 

 tion that, in the Isle of Ascension^ and other 



M 2 



