The Natural History of Selborne

Foot of a fly, Robert Hooke, Micrographia. Or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made By Magnifying Glasses With Observations and Inquiries Thereupon, 1664

White’s theory of the adhesive mechanism of the feet of houseflies is ingenious but not quite accurate– in principle they work more like Velcro. Hooke’s drawing is miraculous but an even better look at the little hairs causing the grip can be seen here.

• 1792: October 9, 1792 – Master Hale houses barley that looks like old thatch.  Much barley about the country, & some wheat.  Some pheasants found in the manour.  The sound of great guns was heard distinctly this day to the S.E. probably from Goodwood, where the Duke of Richmond has a detachment from the train of artillery encamped in his park, that he may try experiments with some of the ordnance.
• 1791: October 9, 1791 – It has been observed that divers flies, besides their sharp, hooked nails, have also skinny palms or flaps to their feet, whereby they are enabled to stick on glass & other smooth bodies, & to walk on ceilings with their backs downward, by means of the pressure of the atmosphere on those flaps.  The weight of which they easily overcome in cold weather when they are brisk and alert.  But in the decline of the year, this resistance becomes too mighty for their diminished strength; & we see flies labouring along, & lugging their feet in windows as if they stuck fast to the glass, & it is with the utmost difficulty they can draw one foot after another, & disengage their hollow caps from the slippery surface.  Upon the same principle that flies stick, & support themselves, do boys, by way of play, carry heavy weights by only a piece of wet leather at the end of a string clapped close on the surface of a stone.  Tho’ the Virgoloeuse pears always rot before they ripen, & are eatble, yet when baked dry on  a tin, they become an excellent sweet-meat.
• 1788: October 9, 1789 – A bag of hops from master Hale, weight 36 pounds, & an half.
• 1788: October 9, 1788 – D.L. Virginian creeper sheds it’s leaves.  It’s leaves have a silky appearance.  Tho. H. White, & H.H.W. went to Fyfield.
• 1787: October 9, 1787 – Timothy sets his shell an edge against the sun.  The best Selborne hops were sold for 15 pounds, & 15 guineas per hund.
• 1784: October 9, 1784 – Mr R: left us.  It has been the received opinion that trees grow in height only by their annual upper shoot.  But my neighbour over the way, Tanner, whose occupation confines him to one spot, assures me, that trees are expanded & raised in the lower parts also.  The reason that he gives is this: the point of one of my Firs in Baker’s hill began for the first time to peep over an opposite roof at the beginning of summer; but before the growing season was over, the whole shoot of the year, & three or four joints of the body beside became visible to him as he sits on his form in his shop.  According to this supposition, a tree may advance in height considerably though the summer shoot should be destroyed every year.
• 1781: October 9, 1781 – The grass was covered with cob-webs, which being loaded with dew, looked like frost.  A grey hen was lately killed on that part of Hind-head which is called the Devil’s punch-bowl.  This solitary bird has haunted those parts for some time.
• 1778: October 9, 1778 – Many martins near Houghton-bridge.  Some swallows all the way.
• 1776: October 9, 1776 – Nuts fall very fast from the hedges.
• 1775: October 9, 1775 – Woodcock returns.
• 1774: October 9, 1774 – Three swallows at Faringdon.
• 1773: October 9, 1773 – Many martins appear again. Mr Yalden’s barley abroad: it has large corn & full of clover.  * The breed of partridges was good this year: pheasants are very scarce; hardly any eyes to be found.  We abound usually in pheasants.  In some counties pheasants are so scarce that the Gent. have agreed to refrain from killing any.  Rains ever since the first of Sepr.
• 1771: October 9, 1771 – Several swallows & martins.
• 1770: October 9, 1770 – Fog on the hills.