The Natural History of Selborne

On these two days many house-martins were feeding & flying along the hanger as usual, ’til a quarter past five in the afternoon, when they all scudded away in great haste to the S.E. and darted down among the low beechen oaken shrubs above the cottages at the end of the hill. After making this observation I waited ’til it was quite dusk, but saw them no more; & returned home well pleased with this incident, hoping that at this late season it might lead to some useful discover, & point out their winter retreat. since that, I have only seen two on Oct. 22 in the morning. These circumstances put together make it look very suspicious that this late flock at least will not withdraw into warmer climes, but that they will lie dormant within 300 yards of the village.

The tortoise scarcely moves.

Spinage grown very large: a vast crop.

A tremendous storm in the Leeward islands, which occasioned vast damage among the shipping, & c.  Vast halo round the moon.

No ring-ouzels seen this autumn yet.  Timothy very dull.

Cleaned-out the zigzag.  The spinage sown in Aug. now in perfection.

The China hollycocks in my strong soil grow too tall, & are just beginning to blow.  Began to light fires in the parlor.

Finished a Bostal, or sloping path up the hanger from the foot of the zigzag to the corner of the Wadden, in length 414 yards. A fine romantic walk, shady & beautiful.  In digging along the hanger the labourers found many pyrites perfectly round, lying in the clay; & in the chalk below several large cornua Ammonis.

Moles live in the middle of the hanger.

When people walk in a deep white fog by night with a lanthorn, if they will turn their backs to the light they will see their shades impressed on the fog in rude, gigantic proportions.  This phenomenon seems not to have been attended to; but implies the great density of the meteor that juncture.