The Natural History of Selborne

Hops begin to form on their poles: but the gardens in general, fall off, & look lousey, since the rains.

Boys bring the 8th & 9th wasps nest.  Pyramidal campanula blows.

By frequent picking we have much reduced the Cocci on the vines.  Vast storm of thunder, & rain at Thursley, which damaged the crops.  Thursley is in Surrey, to the N.E. of us.

Boys bring the sixth & seventh wasp’s nest.  My Nep. Edmd White sends me some fine wall-nuts for pickling.  The trees at Newton were not at all touched by the severity of last winter; while mine were so damaged that all the bearing twigs were destroyed.  My wall-nut trees have this summer pushed out shoots thro’ the old bark, several feet from the extremities of the boughs.  While the hen-fly-catcher sits, the cock feeds her all day long: he also pays attention to the former brood, which he feeds at times.

Some water in the pond on the down.  Mr. Edmd White’s tank has four feet of water.

Made black curran-jelly, & rasp. jam.

Heavy showers.  Ponds fill.

Savoys & artichokes over-run with aphides.  The Fly-catcher in the vine sits on her eggs, & the cock feeds her.  She has four eggs.

Newton great pond is almost dry; only two or three dirty puddles remain, which afford miserable water for the village.  My nephew Edmd. White of Newton turns his sheep into five acres of barley, which is spoiled by the drought.  Mr Ponk of Farngdon does the same by a field of oats.

Boys brought the fourth wasp’s-nest.