The Natural History of Selborne

Some of our hollow lanes are not passable.

A musca domestica, by the warmth of my parlor has lengthened out his life, & existence to this time: he usually basks on the jams of the chimney within the influence of the fire after dinner, & settles on the table, where he sips the wine & tastes the sugar & baked apples.  If there comes a very severe day he withdraws & is not seen.

The snow, where level, about one foot in depth: in some places much drifted.

Deep snow.  The Bantham fowls, when first let out, were so astonished at the snow that they flew over the house.

Shortest day. Pleasant weather.  A hunted hind came down Galley-hill into the street; where being headed by the village dogs, it turned back to Well-head, & was taken in Kircher’s farm yard, & put into the barn, being quite run down.  One of the Gent. pursuers let it blood, & hired  a man to watch it all night.  in the morning by seven o’ the clock a deer-cart came, & took it away.  There were several Gent. in with the dogs, when they took the deer.  The dogs & hind were said to belong to Mr Delmee, who lives near Fareham. The deer was turned-out in the morning on Stevens Castle down near Bishop’s Waltham, which is at least 18 miles from this place.  The dogs were short & thick, but had shrill notes like fox-hounds, & when they ran hard opened but seldom, so that they made but little cry.

Began to cut my new hay-rick.

Bought a strong, stout white Galloway mare, that walks well, & seems to be gentle.  She was lately the property of Mr Leech, Surgeon at Alton, deceased.

Five or six bats were flying round my chimnies at the dawn of the day.  Bats come forth at all times of the year when ye Thermr is at 50, because at such a temperament of the air Phalaenae are stirring, on which they feed.

The yellow Bantham-pullet begins to lay.