O F S E L B O R N E. 8 t 
lead were not heard) till weeks after their ufual time ; ;is the i'La-/:- 
tap and white-throat ; and fome have not been heard yet, as the 
grafshopper-lark and largeft willow-wren. As to \:h,cfly-catt:/ji'i\ I have 
not feen it ; it is indeed one of the lateft, but fliould appear 
about this time : and yet, amidft all this meteorous ftrife and 
war of the elements, two fwallows difcovered themfelvcs as long 
ago as the eleventh of Jpril, in froft and fnow; but they withdrew 
quickly, and were not vifible again tor many days. Houfe- 
martins, which are always more backward than fwallows, were 
not obferved till May came in. 
Among the monogamous birds feveral are to be found, after 
pairing-time, fmgle, and of each fex : but whether this Hate of 
celibacy is matter of choice or neceffity, is not fo eafily difcover- 
able. When the houfe-fparrows deprive my martins of their nefts, 
as foon as I caufe one to be fliot, the other, be it cock or hen, 
prefently procures a mate, and fo for feveral times following. 
I have known a dove-houfe infefted by a pair of white owls, 
which made great havock among the yx)ung pigeons : one of 
the owls was fliot as foon as poflible ; but the furvivor readily 
found a mate, and the mifchief went on. After fome time the 
new pair were both deftroyed, and the annoyance ceafed. 
Another inftance I remember of a fportfman, whofe zeal for 
the increafe of his game being greater than his humanity, after 
pairing-time he always fliot the cock-bird of every couple of 
partridges upon his grounds; fuppofing that the rivalry of many 
males interrupted the breed : he ufed to fay, that, though he had 
widowed the fame hen feveral times, yet he found flie was flill 
provided with a frefli paramour, tliat did not take her away 
from her ufual haunt. 
Again J I knew a lover of fetting, an old fportfman, who has 
M often 
