muft be a perpetual flitting and conftant progreflive fucceffiofl.
It does not appear that any wheat-ears are taken to the weftward of
Houghton-bridge, which Hands on the river Arm-
I did not fail to look particularly after my new migration of
ring-oufels; and to take notice whether they continued on the
downs to this feafon of the year; as I had formerly remarked them
in the month of OBober all the way from Chichejler to Lewes where-
cver there were any Ihrubs and covert: but not one bird of this
fort came within my obfervation. I only faw a few larks and whin-
chats, fome rooks, and feveral kites and buzzards>
About Midfiwtmer a flight of crofs-bills comes to the pine-groves
about this houfe, but never makes any lon g flay*
The old tortoife, that I have mentioned in a former letter, ftill
continues in this garden; and retired under ground about the
twentieth of November, and came out again for one day on the
thirtieth: it lies now buried in a wet fwampy border under a wall
facing to the fouth, and is enveloped at prefent in mud and mire!
Here is a large rookery round this houfe, the inhabitants of
which feem to get their livelihood very eafily; for they fpend the
greateft part of the day on their neft-trees when the weather is mild,
Thefe rooks retire every evening all the winter from this rookery,
where they only call by the way, as they are going to rooft in deep
woods : at the dawn of day they always revifit their neft-trees, and
are preceded a few minutes by a flight of daws, that aft, as it
were, as their harbingers.
I am, &c.
Le t t e r
L E T T E R XVIII.
TO TH E S A M E .
DEA R SIR, Sblborne, Jan. 1774.
T h e houfe-fwallow, or chimney-fwallow, is undoubtedly the firft
comer of all the -Briti/h hirmdines; and appears in general on or
about the thirteenth of April, as I have remarked from many years
obfervation. Not but now and then a ftraggler is feen much
earlier : and, in particular, when I was a boy I obferved a fwallow
for a whole day together on a funny warm Shrove Tuesday; which
day could not fall out , later than the. middle of March, and often
happened early in February.
It is worth remarking that thefe birds are feen firft about lakes
and mill-ponds; and it is alfo very particular, that if thefe early
vifiters happen to find froft and fnow, as was the cafe of the two
dreadful fprings of 1770 and .1.7,71, they immediately withdraw '
for a time. A cireumftance this much more in favour ,of hiding
than migration; fince it is much more probable that a bird Ihould
retire todt’s hybernaculum juft at hand, than; return for a week or
two only to warmer latitudes.
The fwallow, though called the chimney-fwallow, by no means
builds altogether in chimnies, but often within barns and out—
houfes againft the rafters; and fo fhe did in Virgil’s time:
— — — — “ Ante
“ Garrula quam tignis nidos fufpendat Inrun do.51
In.