The Natural History of Selborne

Vast quantities of rain.

Warm air.  Flesh-flies blow the meat in the larder still.

Saw one martin.

20 or perhaps 30 martins were playing all day along by the side of the hanger, & over my fields.  Will these house-martins, some of which were nestlings 12 days ago, shift their quarters at this late season of the year to the other side of the northern tropic! Or rather is it not more probably that the next church, ruin, cliff, sand bank ( a Northern naturalist would say) lake or pool will prove their hybernaculum & afford them a ready, & obvious retreat?

Fieldfare is seen.

Mrs Snooke’s tortoise begins to dig in order to hide himself for the winter.  The vale of Bramber, & the river enveloped in a vast fog: the downs were clear.