L E T T E R XXXII.
TO THE S A M E .
D E A R S IR , Selborne, Oitelier 19, 177a.
A f t i r an ineffedual fearch in L im u e u s , B r iffo n , &c. I begin
to fufpeft that I difcern my brother’s hirtm do hyberna in S co p o li’ s
new discovered Berundo r u fx jir h , p. 16 j . His defcription of
“ S u p ra m a rin a , fu b tu s a lb id a ; reS trices macula- a v a il a lb a in la te re
“ in te rn o ; p ed es n u d i, n ig r i; roftrum n ig rum ; r-ermges o b fiu rio res quam
“ p lum -a d o r fa le s ; r e tlr ie e s rem ig ib u s con o oh res ; caudd em a rg in a td , nec
“ fo r c ip a td i” agrees very well with the bird in queftion : but
when he comes to advance that it is “ fta tu r a hb rund inis u r b io e ,”
and that “ d efin itio h iru n d in is r ip a r iis L in n a i h u k quoque co n v en it,” he
in fome meafure invalidates all he has faid; at leaft he fhews at once
that he compares them to thefe fpecies merely from memory :
for I have compared the birds themfelves, and find they differ
widely in every circumftance of fhape, fize, and colour. However,
as you will have a fpecimen, I fhall be glad to hear what your
judgment is in the matter.
Whether my brother is foreftalled in his non-defcript or not,
he will have the credit pf firft difcovering that they fpend their
winters under the warm and fheltery Ihores of Gibraltar and
Barbary.
Scopoli’ s chara&ers of his ordines and genera are clean, juft,
and expreflive, and much in the fpirit of Linnaus. Thefe few
remarks are the refult of my firft perufal of Scopoli’s Annus Primus.
The
O F S E L B O R N E . 87
The bane of our fcience is the comparing one animal to the
other by memory : for want of caution in this particular Scopoli
falls into errors: he is not To full with regard to the manners of
his indigenous birds as might be wifhed, as you juftly obferve:
his Latin is eafy, elegant, and expreflive, and very fuperior to
Kramer’ s n.
I am pleafed to fee that my defcription of the mooji correfponds
fo well with yours. I am, &e.
L E T T E R XXXIII.
TO THE S AM E .
D E A R -S IR , Se l b o r n e , N o v .*6, 1770.
X w a s much pleafed to f e e , among the colleftion of birds from
Gibraltar, fome of thofe fhort-winged Englijh fummer-birds of
pafiage, concerning whofe departure we have made fb much
inquiry. -Now i f thefe birds are found in Andahjia to migrate to
•and from Barbary, it may eafily be fuppofed that thofe that come
to u s .may migrate back to the continent, and fpend their winters
in fome of the warmer parts of Europe. This is certain, that many
faft-hilled birds that come to Gibraltar appear there only in
fpring and autumn, feetning to advance in pairs towards the
northward, for the fake of breeding during the fummer months ;
® See his Elencbus •vegetabilium et anunalium per Aujiriam inferiorem, £?r.
and