The Natural History of Selborne

No corn abroad but a few vetches. Lord Howe had a skirmish with the combined fleet, in which he ad 68 killed, and 208 wounded.

Lord Howe completed the relief of Gibraltar.

No baking pears.  Gathered-in medlars.  Dug up carrots, a good crop, but small in size.  THe tortoise not only gets into the sun under the fruit-wall; but he tilts one edge of his shell against the wall, so as to incline his back ot it’s rays: by which contrivance he obtains more heat than if he lay in his natural position.  And yet this poor reptile has never read, that planes inclining to the horizon receive more heat from the sun than any other elevation!  At four P.M. he retires to bed under the broad foliage of a holyhock.  He has ceased to eat for some time.

Gathered-in my apples.  Knobbed russetings, & nonpareils, a few.  Near four bushels of dearlings on the meadow-tree: fruit small.

Sister Barker & her two daughters left Selborne.

The great farmer at Newton has 105 acres of barley abroad.  Mr Pink still has 40 acres of barley abroad.

The paths are dry & crisp.  Men house barley ’till between ten & eleven at night.  Pleasant starlight.

Lord Howe arrived in the straits of Gibraltar.

We make tarts, & puddings with the crude unripened grapes.  Gathered-in the Virgoleuse, & Chaumentelle pears, a good crop: somewhat has gnawn many of the former like wasps or hornets.

Sad weather for the barley.  Barley housed at Bramshot & other places, being green & damp, has heated violently, & endangered the firing of barns.  All the hops of this parish this year are carried to Wey-hill in two waggons: good crops require four or five.  Gathered two or three bunches of grapes: they have some colour, but are crude & sour.– By the evening being so light, there must be great N. Auroras.  Mr. Yalden finished mowing his barley.