Page:White - The natural history of Selborne, and the naturalist's calendar, 1879.djvu/176

154 the end of November: about twenty years ago they abounded in the district of Selborne; and strings of them were seen morning and evening that reached a mile or more; but since the beechen woods have been greatly thinned they are much decreased in number. The ring-dove, Palumbus Raii, stays with us the whole year, and breeds several times through the summer.

Before I received your letter of October last I had just remarked in my journal that the trees were unusually green. This uncommon verdure lasted on late into November; and may be accounted for from a late spring, a cool and moist summer; but more particularly from vast armies of chafers, or tree-beetles, which, in many places, reduced whole woods to a leafless naked state. These trees shot again at Midsummer, and then retained their foliage till very late in the year. 2

My musical friend, at whose house I am now visiting, has tried all the owls that are his near neighbours with a pitch-pipe set at concert pitch, and finds they all hoot in B flat. He will examine the nightingales next spring.

I am, etc., etc.

1 I have observed woodcocks sluggish and owl-like in their movements during a continuance of bright cool weather in the autumn, and have attributed it to fatigue after a long flight.

2 The leaves of a number of currant bushes in my garden were destroyed this spring by a vast number of the caterpillars of the magpie moth, so that the trees were black and apparently lifeless; yet after Midsummer, when the caterpillars had turned into moths, the bushes budded again and were soon in full leaf, but bore no fruit.

LETTER X., Aug 1st, 1771 ,—From what follows, it will appear that neither owls nor cuckoos, keep to one note. A friend remarks that many (most)