The Natural History of Selborne

Several women & children have eruptions on their hands, &c., is this owing to the lowness of the water in the wells, &c?  It seems this often befalls after they have been employed in hop-picking.

Several herons at Wolmer-pond, & a tringa octrophus, or white-rumped sand-piper, Cranmer-pond in Wolmer-forest is quite dry.

No h: martins, nor swallows in the villages, nor sand-martins at the pit on Short-heath.  The white-sand in the pit above, observed thro’ a microscope, appears more sharp, & angular than the yellow sand of the forest.  Gathered in the nonparels, & royal russets.  Much gossamer flying.

No h. martins, nor swallows in the village, nor sand-martins about the forest.  Ld Stawel was fishing Wolmer-pond with a long net drawn by ten men.

Bought a bay-Welch Galloway mare. Out of the horses that were offered to me to try, there were ten mares to one gelding.

Cleaned my well by drawing out about 100 buckets of muddy water: there was little rubbish at the bottom.  There were two good springs, one at the bottom, & one about three feet above.  Nothing had been done to this well for about 40 years.  The man at the bottom in the cleaning brought up several marbles & taws that we had thrown down when children.

Men put-up their hogs to fat.  House-flies muscae domesticae, now croud about the fire-place, run on hearths, & sport in the chimney-corner.

My well has now only three feet in water: it has never been so low, since my father sunk it, more than forty years ago.

Dug up potatoes, & carrots.

Gathered-in Cadilliac-pears, dearlings, & royal russets.