THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. apy. Od 
eyes in the slough is now inward, that circumstance alone is a 
proof that the skin has been turned ; not to mention that now 
the present inside is much darker than the outer. If you look 
through the scales of the snake’s eyes from the concave side, 
viz., as the reptile used them, they lessen objects much. Thus 
it appears from what has been said, that snakes crawl out of 
the mouth of their own sloughs, and quit the tail part last, 
just as eels are skinned by a cook maid. While the scales of 
the eyes are growing loose, and a new skin is forming, the 
creature in appearance must be blind, and feel itself in an 
awkward, uneasy situation.” | 
LETTER XVIII. 
SELBORNE, /uly 27th, 1768. 
I received your obliging and communicative letter of June 
28th while I was on a visit at a gentleman’s house, where I 
had neither books to turn to, nor leisure to sit down to return 
you an answer to many queries, which I wanted to resolve in 
the best manner that I am able. 
A person, by my order, has searched our brooks, but could 
find no such fish as the nine-spined stickleback ; he found the 
two-spined stickleback in plenty. ‘This morning, in a basket, 
I packed a little earthen pot full of wet moss, and in it some 
sticklebacks, male and female, the females big with spawn : 
some lamperns; some bull’s heads; but I could procure no 
minnows. ‘This basket will be in Fleet Street by eight this 
evening ; so I hope Mazel will have them fresh and fair to- 
morrow morning. I gave some directions, in a letter, to what 
particulars the engraver should be attentive. 
Finding, while I was on a visit, that I was within a reason- 
able distance of Ambresbury, I sent a servant over to that 
