The Natural History of Selborne

Made black curran-jelly, & rasp. jam.

Heavy showers.  Ponds fill.

Savoys & artichokes over-run with aphides.  The Fly-catcher in the vine sits on her eggs, & the cock feeds her.  She has four eggs.

Newton great pond is almost dry; only two or three dirty puddles remain, which afford miserable water for the village.  My nephew Edmd. White of Newton turns his sheep into five acres of barley, which is spoiled by the drought.  Mr Ponk of Farngdon does the same by a field of oats.

Boys brought the fourth wasp’s-nest.

Vast shower in the evening towards Odiham.  Wheat on the strong lands looks finely.  The crop in the Ewel looked so thin, as if there would be nothing all spring: but now there is fine even wheat.  Fine rain at London.

Bramshot-place

My vines are nicely trimmed: not a superflous shoot left.  Cleared the cherry-trees, & took-in the nets.  Mr Richardson’s garden was not so much burnt-up as might be expected.  There was plenty of pease, & kidney-beans; & much fruit, such as currans, gooseberries, melond, & cherries.  The wheat at Bramshot looks well; but the spring-crops are injured by they drought.  Turnips come-up pretty well.  The pair of Fly-catchers in the vine are preparing for a second brood, & have got one egg.  This is the first instance that I remember of their breeding twice.

The down is so burnt, that it looks dismally.

The spring in Kimber’s mead is dry; & also that in Conduit-wood; from whence in old time the Priory was supplyed with water by means of leaden pipes.  The pond on the common is also empty.  All the while Well-head is not much abated, nor the spring at the bottom of the church -litten closes, where you pass over the foot-bridge to the Lithe.  Perserved cherries, & currans; & made curran-jelly.  Not one mess of wood-strawberries brought this year.

Ants swarm on the stairs: their male-flies leave them, & fill the windows: their females do not yet appear.