The natural history of Selborne . ng, when the cold this be the case, here is discovered a new bird ofwinter passage, concerning whose migrations thewriters are silent; but if these birds should provethe ousels of the north of England, then here is amigration disclosed within our own kingdom neverbefore remarked. It does not yet appear whetherthey retire beyond the bounds of our island to thesouth ; but it is most probable that they usually do,or else one cannot suppose that they would havecontinued so long unnoticed in the southern coun- OF SELBORNE. 79 tics. The ousel is larger tha
The natural history of Selborne . ng, when the cold this be the case, here is discovered a new bird ofwinter passage, concerning whose migrations thewriters are silent; but if these birds should provethe ousels of the north of England, then here is amigration disclosed within our own kingdom neverbefore remarked. It does not yet appear whetherthey retire beyond the bounds of our island to thesouth ; but it is most probable that they usually do,or else one cannot suppose that they would havecontinued so long unnoticed in the southern coun- OF SELBORNE. 79 tics. The ousel is larger than a blackbird, andfeeds on haws ; but last autumn (when there wereno haws) it fed on yew-berries : in the spring itfeeds on ivy-berries, which ripen only at that sea-son, in March and April. I must not omit to tell you (as you have beenso lately on the study of reptiles) that my peopleevery now and then, of late, draw up with a bucketof water from my well, which is sixty-three feetdeep, a large black warty Lizard, with a fin-tail. ^7 and yellow belly. How they first came down atthat depth, and how they were ever to have got outthence without help, is more than I am able to say. My thanks are due to you for your trouble andcare in the examination of a bucks head. As faras your discoveries reach at present, they seemmuch to corroborate my suspicions ; and I hope Mr. may find reason to give his decision in my favour ; and then, I think, we may advancethis extraordinary provision of nature as a newinstance of the wisdom of God in the creation. As yet I am not quite done with my history ofthe (Bclicnemus, or stone curlew ; for I shall desire 80 NATURAL HISTORY a gentleman in Sussex (near whose house thesebirds congregate in vast flocks in the autumn) toobserve nicely when they leave him (if they doleave him), and when they return again in thespring: I was witn this gentleman lately, and sawseveral single birds. LETTER XXI. Selborne, Nov, 28, 1768. Dear Sir,—With regard to the cBdi
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