191 
would beat themselves against the Lighthouses. This, i am well 
informed, they do, every Autumn in Norfolk. And lie is unlucky 
when he names the yellow-hammer in Hasselquist’s ship ; 2 one is 
left to suppose the only bird ; when you may remember Hasselquist 
mentions many different birds, on different days, but forgets the 
poor yellow-hammer. — M r Barrington concludes Mons r Adanson’s 
birds to bo martins, because they roosted on the Sea-shore . — 
But Adanson says after, when ho lived by the Gambia, great 
numbers of European Sxvalloivs came every evening into his 
hutj past the night upon the rafters. Now if these birds 
roosting on the sands proved them martins, does not their roosting 
on the rafters prove them swallows ? From pieces of quotations 
you may prove blasphemy from the Bible, as you may remember 
finely proved by Pulteny (afterwards E. of Bath) against Thomson 
in the H. of Commons. 3 — I honour & love Mr Barrington; but 
i wish every man i lovo would be careful of what ho commits 
to the public notice. Your friend Pennant has been too 
careless. 
I thank you for your account of the rain of last year, as i do 
not measure it, i could outy observe there has fallen a great deal. 
If the Squirrels did you as much harm as they do me, you 
would think your self obliged to the boys that destroy them. I 
paid for above 80 one year. They bite off the young shoots of 
my Trees. — Indications of Spring in 1793. Snowdrop Jan 15. 
Thrush sings Feb. 15. Hawth. 1. Mar. 2. Ringdoves coo Feb. 
22. Kooks build & stock doves coo Mar. 4. Hipatica F. Feb. 
1G. Yellow butterfly Feb. 24. Larch 1. Mar. 9 
I hope you have presented your account of the fern-owl to the 
R.S. I am hungry for it. I am glad you liked the drawing of 
8 Hasselquist, born 1722, died at Smyrna in 1752. Ilis journal and other 
literary remains were published by Linnaeus, and afterwards translated into 
English Voyages and Travels in the Levant, &c.’ (London: 1766.) 
The bird Barrington (Phil. 1'raius. 1772, p. 276) referred to as a Yellow 
Hammer was most likely that which Hasselquist himself called Emberiza 
africana (pp. 14 and 206 of the English translation) and identified by 
Linnaeus with his Loxia chloris (Syst. Nat. Ed. 10, i. p. 174, no. 20), i.e. our 
Greenfinch. — A. N. 
* This allusion is quite beyond me, nor can Mr. Elwin throw any light 
upon it.— A. N. 
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