1G3 
built. — The indented oaken leaf which you gather’d between 
Koine, & Naples was the quercus cerris of Linnajus. 4 The yellow 
oak which you saw in Sussex escaped my notice. 
ltichard Mulimau Trench Chisvvell Esq. of Portland Place, & 
M. P. 5 tells a friend of mine in town that he has an Elm in Essex 
for which he has boon bid £100. It is long enough, he says, to 
make a keel ungrafted for a man-of-war of the largest dimensions. 
As he expressed a desire of corresponding with me, 1 have written 
to him, & desired some particulars respecting this amazing tree. 
You seem to wonder that Mr. Willughby should not be aware 
that the Fern-owl is a summer bird of passage. But you must 
remember that those excellent men, Willughby & Kay, wrote 
when the ornithology of England, & indeed the Nat: History 
was quite' in it’s infancy. But their efforts were prodigious ; & 
indeed they were the Fathers of that delightful studyin this kingdom. 
I have thoughts of sending a paper to the R. S. respecting 
the fern-owl; & seem to think that I can advance some particulars 
concerning that peculiar, migratory, nocturnal bird, that have never 
been noticed before. The rain of Octo r - last was great, but of 
Nov r - still mere. The former month produced 6 in. 49 hund. but 
the latter upwards of 8 in. : five & £ of which fell in one week, viz. 
from Nov. 13th to the 19th. both inclusive! You will, I hope, 
pardon my neglect, & write soon. 0, that I had known you 
forty years ago ! 
I remain, with great esteem, 
Y r most humble servant, 
Gil. White. 
My tortoise was very backward this year in preparing his 
Hybernaculum ; & did not retire till towards the beginning of 
Decem r6 The late great snow hardly reached us, & was gone 
at once. 
4 This, the Turkish oak, was introduced into this country about a century 
ago, from the South of Europe and is now much planted, as an ornamental 
tree. — J. E. II. 
5 Returned for Aldborough in the county of York, (London Gazette, 3rd 
August, 1790.)— A. N. 
* In previous years this ‘‘old Sussex tortoise bbgan first to dig the ground, 
in order to the forming its hybcruaeulum, on Nov. 1st,” (Letter XIII to 
