The Natural History of Selborne

Trenched-out celeriac, & some of the new-advertized large celeri. Planted out some endive. A pair of house-martins, that built under the eaves of my stable, lost their nest in part by a drip, just as most of the young were flown. They are now repairing their habitation in order to rear a second brood.

Timothy the tortoise, who weighed April 2: after fasting all the winter on six pounds 8 oun. & 3/4: weighs now seven pounds, & one ounce: weighed last august six pounds, & fifteen ounces. From the encreased number of the Swifts, it seems as if they had brought out many of their young. About eight in the evening, Swifts get together in a large party, & course round the environs of the church, as if teaching their broods the art of flying. As yet they do not retire ’til three quarters after 8 o’ the clock; & before they withdraw, the bats come forth: so that day & night animals take each others places in a curious succession! All the swifts that play around the church do not seem to roost under it’s eaves. Some pairs, I know, reside under some of the cottage roofs. Three or four pairs of lapwings hatched their broods this summer on the common: the young, which run long before they can flie, sculk among the fern. The usually affect low, moist situations.

Brisk gale.  The wheat, in large fields, undulates before the gale in a most amusing manner.

The bloom of the lime hangs in beautiful golden tassels.

Made my rick of meadow-hay, which contains six jobbs, without one drop of rain.  Some part of it would have been better, I think, had there been some sun on the day of making.

Wheel round the sun.

The red valerians, roses, iris’s, corn-flags, honey-suckles, &c., make a gallant shew.  Most of the pinks were destroyed in the winter by the hares.  We put Timothy into a tub of water, & found that he sunk gradually, & walked on the bottom of the tub: he seemed quite out of his element, & was much dismayed.  This species seems not at all amphibious.  Timothy seems to be the Testudo Graeca of Linnaeus.  Dr Chandler who saw the operation, says there is a species of tortoise in the Levant that at times frequents ponds & lakes: and my Bro: Jonh White, affirms the same of a sort in Andalusia.

About nine in the evening a large shining meteor appeared falling from the S. towards the E. in a inclination of about 45 degrees, & parting in two before I lost sight of it.  I was in Baker’s Hill in the shrubbery, having a very bad horizon; & therefore could not see how and where it fell.

The honey-buzzard sits hard.

Young restarts come abroad.