The Natural History of Selborne

Rover find pheasants every day; but no partridges.  The air is full of gossamer.  There is fine grass in the meadows.  …”see, the fading, many-coloured woods,/Shade deepening over shade, the coutnry round,/Imbrown.” Thomson.

Nep. Harry Woods left me, & went to Funtington.

The potatoes in the meadow small, & the ground very stiff.  Low creeping frogs.

Mr John Mulso left me.

The crop of acorns is so prodigious that the trees look quite white with them; & the poor make, as it were a second harvest of them, by gathering them at one shilling pr. bushel.  At the same time not one beech-mast is to be seen.  This plenty of acorns has raised store-pigs to an extravagant price.

Mr John Mulso came.  Hunter’s moon rises soon after sunset.  Muscae domesticae abound in the kitchen & enjoy the warmth of the fire.  Where they lay their eggs does not appear.  The business of propagation continues among them.

Full moon.  Sweet moonshine.

Neps. Th: H. & Hen. H. White went to Fyfield.

In the High-wood, under the thick trees, & among the dead leaves, where there was no grass, we found a large circle of Fungi of the Agaric kind, which included many beeches within its ring.  Such circles are often seen on  turf, but not usually in covert.  We found a species of Agaric in the high wood of a very grotesque shape, with the laminae turned outward, & the cap within formed into a funnel containing a good quantity of water.

This day has been at Selborne the honey market: for a person from Chert came over with a cart, to whom all the villagers round about brought their hives, & sold their contents.  This year has proved a good one to the upland bee-gardens, but not to those near the forest.  Combs were sold last year at about 3 3/4d per pound; this year from 3 1/2-4d.  Women pick up acorns, & sell them for 1s pr bushel.  A splendid meteor seen at half hour past six in the evening; but not so large as that on the 18th of August.