The natural history of Selborne . t intruder. A still more remarkable mixture of sagacity andinstinct occurred to me one day, as my people werepulling off the lining of a hotbed in order to addsome fresh dung. From out of the side of this bedleaped an animal with great agility, that made amost grotesque figure ; nor was it without greatdifficulty that it could be taken, when it proved tobe a large white-bellied field-mouse, with three orfour young clinging to her by their mouths and was amazing that the desultory and rapid motionsof this dam should not oblige her litter to quit theirho
The natural history of Selborne . t intruder. A still more remarkable mixture of sagacity andinstinct occurred to me one day, as my people werepulling off the lining of a hotbed in order to addsome fresh dung. From out of the side of this bedleaped an animal with great agility, that made amost grotesque figure ; nor was it without greatdifficulty that it could be taken, when it proved tobe a large white-bellied field-mouse, with three orfour young clinging to her by their mouths and was amazing that the desultory and rapid motionsof this dam should not oblige her litter to quit theirhold, especially when it appeared that they were soyoung as to be both naked and blind! LETTER XV. Selborne, July 8, 1773. Dear Sir,—Some young men went down lately to a pond on the verge of Wolmer Forest to hunt flappers, or young wild ducks, many of which they caught, and, among the rest, some very minute yet 184 NATURAL HISTORY wpll-fledged wild-fowls alive, which upon px^mina-tion I found to be Teals. I did not know till then. that teals ever built in the south of England, andwas much pleased with the discovery: this I lookupon as a great stroke in natural history. We have had, ever since I can remember, a pairof white owls that constantly place their nest underthe eaves of this church. As I have paid goodattention to the manner of life of these birds duringthe summer through, the following remarks maynot, perhaps, be unacceptable. About an hour be-fore sunset (for then the mice begin to run) theysally forth in quest of prey, and hunt all round thehedges of meadows and small enclosures for them,which seem to be their only food. In this irregularcountry we can stand on an eminence and see thembeat the fields over like a setting-dog, and oftendrop down in the grass or corn. 1 have minutedthese birds with my watch for an hour together,and have found that they return to their nest, theone or the other of them, about once in five minutes;reflecting, at the same time, on the adro
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