136 
THE NATURAL HISTORY 
[LETT. 
LETTER LT. 
TO THE HOXOURAHLE DAIXES BARRINGTON. 
While I was in Sussex last autumn my residence was at the 
village near Lewes, from whence I had formerly the pleasure of 
writing to you. On the 1st of [N'ovember I remarked that the 
old tortoise, formerly mentioned, began first to dig the ground, 
in order to the forming its hyhernaculum, which it had fixed on 
just beside a great tuft of hepaticas. It scrapes out the ground 
with its fore-feet, and throws it up over its back with its hind ; 
but the motion of its legs is ridiculously slow, little exceeding 
the hour-hand of a clock ; and suitable to the composure of an 
animal said to be a whole month in performing one feat of copu- 
lation. Nothing can be more assiduous than this creature night 
and day in scooping the earth, and forcing its great body into 
the cavity ; but as the noons of that season proved unusually 
warm and sunny, it was continually interrupted, and called forth 
by the heat in the middle of the day : and though I continued 
there till the 13th of ^^ovember, yet the work remained 
unfinished. Harsher weather, and frosty mornings, would have 
quickened its operations. ISTo part of its behaviour ever struck 
me more than the extreme timidity it always expresses with 
regard to rain ; for though it has a shell that would secure 
it against the wheel of a loaded cart, yet does it discover as 
much solicitude about rain as a lady dressed in all her best 
attire, shuffling away on the first sprinklings, and running its 
head up in a corner. If attended to it becomes an excellent 
weather-glass ; for as sure as it walks elate, and as it were on 
tiptoe, feeding with great earnestness in a morning, so sure will 
it rain before night. It is totally a diurnal animal, and never 
pretends to stir after it becomes dark. The tortoise, like other 
reptiles, has an arbitrary stomach as well as lungs ; and can re- 
frain from eating as well as breathing for a great part of tlie 
year. AVhen first awakened it eats nothing ; nor again in the 
