The Natural History of Selborne

Farmer Turner cut my great meadow.  He bought the crop.  Wood-strawberries begin to ripen.

In Mr. Richardson’s garden ripe scarlet strawberries every day; large artichokes, pease, radishes, beans just at hand. Bramshot soil is a warm, sandy loam. Small cauliflowers. Wheat shoots into ear. Barley & peas are good on the sands. The sands by liming, & turniping produce as good corn as the clays.

Many large edible chestnut-trees which grew on the turnpike road near Bramshot-place were cut this spring for repairs: but they are miserbaly shaky, & make wretched timber. They are not only shaky, but what the workmen call cup-shakey, coming apart in great plugs, & round pieces as big as a man’s leg. The timber is grained like oak, but much softer.

The nightingale continues to sing; & therefore is probably building again.

Fiery lily blows: orange lily blows.

Nightingales have eggs.  They build a very inartificial nest with dead leaves, & dry stalks.  Their eggs are of a dull olive colour.  A boy took my nest with five eggs: but the cock continues to sing: so probably they will build again.

A good crop of rye-grass in the field sown last year; but the white clover takes only in patches.  Sowed 4 pounds more of white clover, & a willow basket of hay-seeds. [Later note] The white clover since is spread all over the field.

The swifts which dashed-by on saturday last have not appeared since; & were therefore probably on their passage.

Shower of snow.  The snow lay but a small time.  Began to turn my horses into my field lain down last year with rye-grass & dutch-clover.  Wheat looks wretchedly.

A pair of Creepers (Certhia) build at one end of the parsonage-house at Greatham, behind some loose plaster.  It is very amusing to see them run creeping up the walls with the agility of a mouse.  They take great delight in climbing up steep surfaces, & support their progress with their tails, which are long, & stiff, & inlcined downwards.

Two swifts seen at Puttenham in Surrey.  Bank-martins on the heaths all the way to London.