died, perhaps for want of proper sustenance; but the owner thought that by their fierce and wild demeanour they frighted their foster-mothers, and so were starved. Virgil, as a familiar occurrence, by way of simile, describes a dove haunting the cavern of a rock, in such engaging numbers, that I cannot refrain from quoting the passage: and John Dryden has rendered it so happily in our language, that without further excuse I shall add his translation also. "Qualis speluncâ subitò commota Columba, Cui domus et dulces latebroso in pumice nidi, LETTER I. TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON. SELBORNE, June 30, 1769. HEN I was in town last month I partly engaged that I would some time do myself the honour to write to you on the subject of natural history: and I am the more ready to fulfil my promise, because I see you are a gentleman of great candour, and one that will make allowances; especially where the writer professes to be an outdoor naturalist, one who takes his observations from the subject itself, and not from the writings of others. The following is a list of summer birds of passage which I have discovered in this neighbourhood, ranged somewhat in the order in which they appear: 1. Wryneck, 2. Smallest wil low wren, 3. Swallow, 4. Martin, RAII NOMINA. Jynx sive torquil la: USUALLY APPEARS ABOUT The middle of March: harsh note. Regulus non cris- March 23: chirps till Sep tatus: tember. 5. Sand martin, 6. Blackcap, 7. Nightingale, 8. Cuckoo, Ditto. 9. Middle willow (Regulus non cris- Ditto: a sweet plaintive note. Middle of April: a small sibilous note, till the end of July. About April 27. A sweet polyglot, but hurrying it has the notes of many birds. A loud harsh note, crex, crex. "Cantat voce stridulâ locustæ:" end of April, on the tops of high beeches. Beginning of May: chatters by night with a singular noise. May 12. A very mute bird: this is the latest summer bird of passage. This assemblage of curious and amusing birds belongs to ten several genera of the Linnæan system; and are all of the Ordo of Passeres, save the Jynx and Cuculus, which are Pico, and the Charadrius (Edicnemus) and Rallus (Ortygometra), which are Gralla. These birds, as they stand numerically, belong to the following Linnæan genera: Most soft-billed birds live on insects, and not on grain and seeds; and therefore at the end of summer they retire; but the following soft-billed birds, though insecteaters, stay with us the year round: A list of the winter birds of passage round this neighbourhood, ranged somewhat in the order in which they These are only wanderers that appear occasionally, and are not observant of any regular migration. These birds, as they stand numerically, belong to the following Linnæan genera:— 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Anas. Scolopax: 17. Columba: Loxia: Ampelis. 1 See note on page 128.-ED. I should now proceed to such birds as continue to sing after midsummer, but as they are rather numerous, they would exceed the bounds of this paper; besides, as this is now the season for remarking on that subject, I am willing to repeat my observations on some birds concerning the continuation of whose song I seem at present to have some doubt. LETTER II. TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON. SELBORNE, Nov. 2, 1769. HEN I did myself the honour to write to you about the end of last June on the subject of natural history, I sent you a list of the summer birds of passage which I have observed in this neighbourhood; and also a list of the winter birds of passage; I mentioned besides those soft-billed birds that stay with us the winter through in the south of England, and those that are remarkable for singing in the night. According to my proposal, I shall now proceed to such birds (singing birds strictly so called) as continue in full song till after midsummer; and shall range them somewhat 1 Some others might have been added, as the reed warbler, the grasshopper warbler, and the cuckoo. The sky-lark often sings very late, and the note of the corncrake may frequently be heard in May between 11 and 12 P.M. The "less reed sparrow," Passer arundaceus minor, above mentioned is the sedge warbler, Salicaria phragmitis (Bechstein).-ED. |