The Natural History of Selborne

• 1793: March 5, 1793 – Herons haunt the stream below the house, where the Wey meanders along the meads. Lord Stawell sent me a curious water-fowl, shot on Frinsham pond, which proved to be the Shoveler, remarkable for the largeness of it’s bill. It is a species of duck, & most exactly described by Mr Ray. Large wood-pecker laughs very loud. My Brother’s lambs frolick before the windows, & run to a certain hillock, which is their goal, from whence they hurry back; & put us in mind of the following passage in the Poet of nature:
  “Now the sprightly race/
  Invites them forth; then swift, the signal given,/
  They start way, & sweep the mossy mound/
  That runs around the hill.”
• 1791: March 5, 1791 – Boys play at hop-scotch, & cricket.  Some snow under hedges.  The wry-neck returns, & pipes.
• 1790: March 5, 1790 – The tortoise does not appear.  The trufle-man still follows his occupation: when the season is over, I know not.
• 1789: March 5, 1789 – Male yew trees shed their farina in clouds.
• 1786: March 5, 1786 – Vast icicles on eaves.
• 1783: March 5, 1783 – Snow 7 inches deep: no drifting.  Swift thaw.
• 1774: March 5, 1774 – Received as a present from Mr Hinton (to whom it was sent from Exeter, with many more) one of Mr William Lucombe’s new variety of oaks: it is said to be evergreen, tho’ raised at first from an acorn belong to a deciduous tree.  They are all grafted on stocks of common oaks.  My specimen is a fine young plant, & well-rooted.  The growth of this sort is said to be wonderful.  Vid: philosoph: transact: V: 62: for the year 1772.
• 1773: March 5, 1773 – The rooks at Faringdon have built several nests since sunday.
• 1768: March 5, 1768 – Cucumrs shew side-shoots.  Female yew tree shows rudiments of fruit.

Notes:

Nurseryman William Lucombe developed the evergreen oak in the 1760s. From the Lucombe Oak page the-tree.org.uk: “Mr. Lucombe is also famous for the fact that he felled the original hybrid in 1785. He decided to keep some of the timber to make planks for his own future coffin. The boards were stored under his bed for this purpose. However, he lived an exceptionally long life and became 102 years old, which meant that the coffin-planks decayed before Mr Lucumbe did!”

The “Poet of Nature” was James Thomson; this passage is from “The Seasons”. There are many quotations from The Seasons in the journals– see the ‘poetry’ tag under ‘Categories’ for more.