The Natural History of Selborne

The nuthatch hunts for nuts in the hedges, & brings them to the forked bough of a certain plum-tree, where it opens them by picking a ragged irregular hole in the small end of the shell.  It throws the empty shell on the walk.

A man brought me a common sea-gull alive: three crows had got it down in a field, & were endeavouring to demolish it.

The ground was covered with snow at Buxton in Derbyshire.

The thatch is torn by the wind.

Mrs. Snooke’s old tortoise at Ringmer went under ground.

This afternoon the weather turning suddenly very warm produced an unusual appearance; for the dew on the windows was on the outside of the glass, the air being warmer abroad than within.

Nuthatches rap about on the trees.  Crocuss begins to sprout.  The leaves of the medlar-tree are now turned of a bright yellow.  On of the first trees that becomes naked is the wall-nut: the mulberry, & the ash, especially if it bears many keys, and hte Horse-chestnut come next.  All lopped trees, while their heads are young, carry their leaves a long while.  Apple-trees & peaches remain green ’til very late, often ’til the end of Novr: young beeches never cast their leaves ’til spring, ’til the new leaves sprout & push them off: in the autumn the beechen-leaves turn of a deep chestnut color.  Tall beeches cast their leaves towards the end of Octr.  Magpies sometimes, I see, perch on the backs of sheep, & pick the lice & ticks out of their wool; nay, mount on their very heads; while those meek quadrupeds seem pleased, & stand perfectly still, little aware that their eyes are in no small danger; & that their assiduous friends would be glad of an opportunity of picking their bones.

Redwings.  These birds begin to appear at last.

Grey, clouds & sun, sweet day.

Infinite quantities of haws & sloes.  Nothing could be more lovely than the ride from Andover to Alresford over the Hants downs.  The shepherds mow the charlock growing among the wheat.  I saw no fieldfares all thro’ my Journey.  If they come, as Rays says they do, “ventis vehementer spriantibus” they can have had no advantage of that kind; for the autumn has been remarkably still.