The Natural History of Selborne

The woods & hangers still look very green: the tops of the beeches are scarcely tinged.

The hops are very small; but the halum is clean & free from insects.

Some few orleans-plums.  Ravens about the hill.  All the Selborne wheat in, except fome turnip-wheat at the priory.

Goody Hammond returned to weed in the garden.  Got-in two loads of wheat at last in good order.  The perfoliated yellow centaury in seed on the bank above Tull’s cottage.  Chlora perfoliata.  On this day Lord Howe sailed from Spithead with 34 ships of the line, as is supposed for the relief of Gibraltar.

People complain of harvest-bugs.  Thermr in the sun 110.  On this day Mrs Brown, of Uppingham in the County of Rutland, eldest daugher of my Sister Barker, was brought to bed of a daugher, her third child.  My nephews & nieces living are now 17 nephews: 15 nieces: 2 grand nephews: 2 grand nieces: 2 nephews by marriage: total 38.  One Niece since, 39.  8 nephews & nieces dead.

Many Selborne farmers finished wheat-harvest.  The latter housings are in delicate order: the early housed will be cold, & damp.  The swifts left Lyndon in the county of Rutland, for the most part, about August 23.  Some continued ’till August 29: & one till September 3!!  In all our observation Mr Barker & I never saw or heard of a swift in September, tho’ we have remarked them for more than 40 years.  All nature this summer seems to keep pace with the backwardness of the season.

Sister Barker & Nieces Mary & Eliz. Barker came from Lyndon in Rutland.  Planted several Ladies-traces & Serapias’s from the long Lithe, in the bank near the alcove.

The air is full of flying ants, & the hirundines fare luxuriously.

Began to cut the first endive: finely blanched.  Curlews clamour.

Nep. Thomas Holt White & Henry came from Fyfield.