The Natural History of Selborne

Tho. Holt White comes from Fyfield.

Sweet harvest weather.  Wheat ricked & housed.  Mr & Mrs S. Barker, & Miss E. Barker left us.

A fern-owl sits about on my field walks.

Boy brought me the rudiments of a hornet’s nest, with some maggots in it.  Every ant-hill is in a strange hurry & confusion; & all the winged ants, agitated by some violent impulse, are leaving their homes; &, bent on emigration, swarm by myriads in the air, to the great emoulment of the hirundines, which fare luxuriously.  Those that escape the swallows return no more to their nests, but looking out for new retreats, lay a foundation for future colonies.  All the females at these times are pregnant.  The males that escape being eaten, wander away & die.

Mr Ben White came to us from Newton.

Timothy Turner’s brew-house on fire: but much help coming in & pulling off the thatch, the fire was extinguished, without any farther damage than the loss of the roofing.  The flames burst thro’ the thatch in many places.  We are this day annoyed in the brown parlor by multitudes of flying ants, which come forth, as usual, from under the stairs.

Many pease housed.  Harvest-scenes are now very beautiful!  Turnips thrive since the shower.

Cool air.  Wheat gleaned.

The planters think these foggy mornings, & sunny days, injurious to their hops.

Got-in forest-fuel in nice order.  Farmer Knight begins wheat harvest.  Lovely weather.