The natural history of Selborne . ich made great havoc among theyoung pigeons; one of the owls was shot as soonas possible, but the surviver readily found a mate,and the mischief went on. After some time thenew pair were both destroyed, and the annoyanceceased. Again : I knew a lover of setting, an old sports-man, who has often told me that, soon after harvest,he has frequently taken small coveys of partridges,consisting of cock-birds alone ; these he pleasantlyused to call old bachelors. There is a propensity belonging to commonhousecats that is very remarkable ; I mean theirviolent fondness
The natural history of Selborne . ich made great havoc among theyoung pigeons; one of the owls was shot as soonas possible, but the surviver readily found a mate,and the mischief went on. After some time thenew pair were both destroyed, and the annoyanceceased. Again : I knew a lover of setting, an old sports-man, who has often told me that, soon after harvest,he has frequently taken small coveys of partridges,consisting of cock-birds alone ; these he pleasantlyused to call old bachelors. There is a propensity belonging to commonhousecats that is very remarkable ; I mean theirviolent fondness for fish, which appears-to be theirmost favourite food ; and yet nature in this instanceseems to have planted in them an appetite that, un-assisted, they know not how to gratify : for of allquadrupeds, cats are the least disposed towardswater ; and will not, when they can avoid it, deignto wet a foot, much less to plunge into that ele-ment. Quadrupeds that prey on fish are amphibious :such is the Otter, which by nature is so well. 106 NATURAL HISTORY formed for diving that it makes great havoc amongthe inhabitants of the waters. Not supposing thatwe had any of those beasts in our shallow brooks,I was much pleased to see a male otter brought tome, weighing twenty-one pounds, that had beenshot on the bank of our stream below the Prior},where the rivulet divides the parish of Selbornefrom Harteley Wood. LETTER XXX. Selborne, Aug. 1, 1770. Dear Sir,—The French, I think, in general, arestrangely prolix in their natural history. WhatLinnaeus says with respect to insects, holds good inevery other branch; ^^ verbositas prcesentis scecuU,-calamilas ariis.* Pray how do you approve of Scopolis new work ?As I admire his Entomologia, I long to see it. I forgot to mention in my last letter (and had notroom to insert in the former) that the male mooseswims from island to island in the lakes and riversof North America. My friend the chaplain sawone killed in the water in the river of St. Law
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky
