This conformity with the weather
convinces me more and more that they sleep in the winter.
Letter LI
To The Honourable Daines Barrington
Selborne, Sept. 3, 1781.
I have now read your miscellanies through with much care and
satisfaction: and am to return you my best thanks for the
honourable mention made in them of me as a naturalist, which I
wish I may deserve.
In some former letters I expressed my suspicions that many of the
house-martins do not depart in the winter far from this village. I
therefore determined to make some search about the south-east end
of the hill, where I imagined they might slumber out the
uncomfortable months of winter. But supposing that the
examination would be made to the best advantage in the spring,
and observing that no martins had appeared by the 11th of April
last, on that day I employed some men to explore the shrubs and
cavities of the suspected spot. The persons took pains, but without
any success: however, a remarkable incident occurred in the midst
of our pursuit-while the labourers were at work a house-martin, the
first that had been seen this year, came down the village in the
sight of several people, and went at once into a nest, where it
stayed a short time, and then flew over the houses; for some days
after no martins were observed, not till the 16th of April, and then
only a pair.
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