The Natural History of Selborne

Juvenile swift, photo by Jayleane

• 1792: May 24, 1792 – The old speckled Bantam sits on eight eggs.  Sorbus aucuparia, the Quickent-tree, or mountain-ash full of bloom.  The bunches of red berries would make a fine appearance in winter: but they are devoured by thrushes, as soon as they turn colour.  Tanner shot a hen Sparrow-hawk as she was sitting on her eggs in an old crow’s nest on one of the beeches in the High wood.  The bird fell to the ground, &, what was very strange, brought down with her one of the eggs unbroken.  The eggs of Sparrow-hawks, like those of other birds of prey, are round, & blunt-ended, & marked at one end with a bloody blotch.  The hen bird of this species is a fine large hawk; the male is much smaller, & more slender.  Hawks seldom build any nest.  This Hawk had in her craw the limbs of an unfledged lark.
• 1791: May 24, 1791 – Ophrys nidus avis blows in Comb-wood.  Rain is wanted.  Wheat looks yellow.
• 1789: May 24, 1789 – Dr Chandler by letter dated Rolle en Suisse April 4th 1789.  “The Swallows disappeared here about the end of September, 178, the weather being cold: but Oct 17th I saw a pair as we passed among the mountains towards Fort le Cluse on the road to Lyons; & my servant saw a pair on the 19th when we had got thro’ the mountains into Bresse.  Passing an islet of the Rhone Octr 23 near Pont St Esprit, again I saw a swallow, which dipped to drink.  As we approached nearer Marseilles, we saw wasps, dragon-flies, butter-flies, & other summer-insects.  I was ashore Novr 10 at Porto Longona, in the isle of Sr Elbe, off the coast of Italy, towards the evening.  Philip declared that a swallow had passed over his head, of which I doubted; but presently after saw three crossing the Port towards us.  They flew almost straight, very swiftly; & I should have supposed were going to Italy, if the distance had been less, or the Sun not so near setting.  Wasps were in full vigour, & numerous there.  I was assured by a friend at Rome, March 16, 1788, that he had seen swallows at Naples six weeks before.  Mr Morris informed me that martins had been busy under the eaves of the house, where he lodged, about a week.  I saw there, two days after, four nests which they had begun to repair, & on the 26th a couple of the birds: but Mr. M. declared that he had heard them twitter at least as early as the first of March.  The first swift I observed was over the river Liris on my return from Naples April 27th: Nightingales sung there.  On the 20th of last March Philip saw two martins about the lake of Geneva; & was assured by a man that he had seen them on the 18th.  On the 25th he saw several swallows; & supposes the martins to have perished with the cold, as they have not been seen since, & the weather has been bad.  They seem to have disappeared again, as I have not yet seen one.   I remarked bees, & a brimstone-butterfly, march 5th; & about the same time magpies building in the trees opposite to my windows.  I was told that a single martin commonly arrives first, as it were to explore; & again withdraws, as it were to fetch a colony.  Mr Morris, who has lived several years at Rome, related, that the boys there angle for the Swallows with a line at the end of a reed, & instead of a hook, a noose baited with a feather, & hung out at the corners of the streets.  Many are taken by this method, & carried home to be roasted & eaten; or to supply the markets, where they are commonly sold in season.  At Chamberry in Savoy I observed in the evening a joyous croud, & a great bustle.  My curiosity led me to see what […]
• 1787: May 24, 1787 – Bro: Ben cuts three rows of Lucern daily for his three horses: by the time that he has gone thro’ the plot the first rows are fit to be cut again.
• 1785: May 24, 1785 – Swifts copulate in the air, as they flie.
• 1784: May 24, 1784 – A pair of swifts frequent the eaves of my stable.  The birds soon forsook the place, & did not build.
• 1779: May 24, 1779 – Fiery lily blows: orange lily blows.
• 1775: May 24, 1775 – Thrushes now, during this long drought, for want of worms hunt-out shell-snails, & pick them to pieces for their young.  My horses begin to lie abroad.
• 1774: May 24, 1774 – Ophrys nidus avis  Bro Tomas.  This curious plant was found in bloom in the long Lythe among the dead leaves under the thickest beeches: & also among some bushes on Dorton.
• 1773: May 24, 1773 – Scotch and spruce firs beautifully illuminated by the male & female blossoms!
• 1769: May 24, 1769 – Thunder & rain in the night.  Fat sheep are shorn.  Young misslethrushes.

Notes:
Ophrys nidus avis, the bird’s nest orchid. Similiar to yesterday’s toadwort, a ground-dwelling parasite. The BBC has a nice short video on the plant, with a Gilbert Whiteish Alan Titchmarsh.

Many swifts in today’s edition. Although in White’s time the swift was classified as a hirundine with swallows and martins, this is a case of convergent evolution; though similar in form swifts are more closely related to that other extreme flyer, the hummingbird. Swifts live nearly their whole lives in the air, landing only to brood their young. Although like swallows their annual disappearance is down to epic migrations to southern Africa, swifts can to some extent enter a torpid state– no doubt Gilbert would be most gratified to hear that! For more on this fascinating little creature, check out CommonSwift.org; or see how you can help preserve the population with nest-boxes at London’s Swifts.