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loved for their Virtue, more than their usefulness ! — You say your 
Firs have made surprising leading shoots. I last Autumn removed 
some large Hornbeams & Beeches viz. about a yard round ; & they 
grow well ; ono of the Beeches has shot 38 inches. I remain, Avith 
great esteem, dear Sir, your obliged servant, E: Mabsham. 
Nov. l 5t - yesterday my Turkey laid her 15 th egg. so 113 this 
year. — I have measured an Oak this day (at 5 feet) which i planted 
an Acorn in 1719, 8 feet & G inches round. I shall bo glad to 
know if the Wall-creeper lives near you. 
[Franked by “ W. Fellowes,” 3d November.] 
LETTER XV. 
[White to Marsham.] 
Selborne : Novem* 3. 1792. 
Dear Sir, 
An extract from the Natural History of Gibraltar 
by the late Reverend John White. 1 
“ In the first year of my residence at Gibraltar which was 1756, 
it appeared extraordinary to me to see birds of the Swallow kind 
very frequent in the streets all the winter thro.’ Upon enquiry 
I was told that they were Bank Martins : & having at that time 
been but little conversant in Nat. Hist., they passed with me as 
such for some years without any farther regard. At length, when 
I had taken a more attentive survey of the physical productions of 
this climate, I soon discovered these birds to be none of the 
common British species described by authors ; & I farther found 
that they were never seen in G. thro’ the whole course of the 
summer; but constantly & invariably made their first appearance 
about the 18, & 20th, & once as early as the 12th of Octob T 
& remained in great abundance until the beginning of March. 
1 Another extract from this unpublished M.S. was communicated to 
Dailies Barrington, Letter LIII. — J.E.H. 
