The Natural History of Selborne

Ice bears: boys slide.

This epidemic disorder falls heavier on adults than children.

Fog on the hills.  Spring-like, more like Feb: than Decr.  Ravens in their common mode of flying have a peculiarity attending them not unworthy of notice; they turn-over in the air quite on their backs, & that not now & then, bur frequently; often every two or 300 yards.  When this odd attitude betides them they fall down several fathoms, uttering a loud crow, & then right themselves again.  This strange vacillation seems to be owing to their scratching when bitten by vermin– the thrusting-0ut of their leg destroys their equipoise, & throws their wings out of the true center of gravity. Ravens spend their leisure-time over some hanging wood in a sort of mock fight, dashing & diving at each other continually while their loud croakings make the woody steeps re-echo again.

Furze blows.  Colds & feverish complaints obtain in this neighbourhood.  in London, Portsmouth, & other places colds, & coughs have been general: in Dublin also.

Many species of flies come forth.  Bats are out, & preying on phalaenae.  The berries of Ivy, which blowed in the end of Sep: now half grown.  A noble & providential supply for birds in winter & spring!  for the first severe frost freezes, & spoils all the haws, sometimes by the middle of Novr.  Ivy-berries do not seem to freeze.  Large, grey, shell-less cellar snails lay themselves up about the same time with those that live abroad: hence it is plain that a defect of warmth alone is not the only causes that influences their retreat.  The rudiments of the arbutus-fruit swell, & grow.  Laurustines continue to blow.

The grey crow, a bird of winter passage, appears.  It is as rare at Selborne, as the carrion crow is in Sweden.  This is only the third bird that I have seen in this district.  They are common on the downs at Andover, & Winton.  The air is unusually damp, with copious condensations on the walls, wainscot, looking-glasses, &c, of houses, in many places running in streams.

Very dark season: dark within doors a little after 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Many phalanae appear.  Strange that these nocturnal lepidoptera should be so alert, at a season when no day papilios appear, but have long been laid-up for the winter.  Trees will not subsist in sharp currents of air: thus after I had opened a vista in the hedge at the E. corner of Baker’s hill, no tree that I could plant would grow in that corner: & since  I have opened a view from the bottom of the same field into the mead, the ash that grew in the hedge, & now stands naked on the bastion, is dying by inches, & losing all it’s boughs.  Phalaene appear about hedges in the night time the winter thro’.

A flight of woodcocks about in the country.

The high glass brings no good weather: Baromrs usually dote, & are mistaken about this time of year.