LVlll.] 
OF SELBORNE. 
161 
Thus is instinct in animals, taken the least out of its way, 
an undistinguishing, limited faculty ; and blind to every circum- 
stance that does not immediately respect self-preservation, or 
lead at once to the propagation or support of their species. 
Selborne, Se/pt. 9, 1767. 
LETTER LVin. 
TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON. 
I IIECEIVED your favour of the 8th, and am pleased to find 
that you read my little history of the swallow with yonr usual 
candour : nor was I the less pleased to find that you made 
objections where you saw reason. 
As to the quotations, it is difficult to say precisely which 
species of hirundo Virgil might intend in the lines in question, 
since the ancients did not attend to specific differences like 
modern naturalists ; yet somewhat may be gathered, enough to 
incline me to suppose that in the two passages quoted the poet 
had his eye on the swallow. 
In the first place the epithet garrula suits the swallow well, 
\\ hich is a great songster ; and not the martin, which is rather 
a mute bird ; and when it sings is so inward as scarce to be 
heard. Besides, if tigniim in that place signifies a rafter rather 
than a beam, as it seems to me to do, then it must be the swallow 
that is alluded to, and not the martin ; since the former does 
frequently build within the roof against the rafters : while the 
latter always, as far as I have been able to observe, builds 
without the roof against eaves and cornices. 
As to the simile, too much stress must not be laid on it : yet 
the epithet nigra speaks plainly in favour of the swallow, whose 
back and wings are very black ; while the rump of the martin 
is milk-white, its back and wings blue, ai]d all its under part 
\\'hite as snow. Nor can the clumsy motions (comparatively 
M 
