The Natural History of Selborne

Helleborus viridis emerges out of the ground, budding for bloom.  Laurustine blooms.

Much damage at Portsmouth by unusual tides, & at the isle of Wight.  * A rook should be shot weekly the year thro’, & it’s crop examined: hence perhaps might be discovered whether in the whole they do more harm or good from the contents at various periods.  Tho’ this experiment might show that the birds often injure corn, & turneps; ye the continual consumption of grubs, & noxious insects would rather preponderate in their favour.

Vast rain, stormy.  Much damage was done by sea & land; & on the river at London.

Dark & sharp, sun, cutting wind, hard frost. Icicles.  Note: Chaucer, speaking of Goassamer as a strange phenomenon, says, “As sore some wonder at the cause of thunder;/ on ebb, & flode, on gosomer, & mist;/And on all thing; ’till that cause is wist.”

Received two bramblings from Mr Battin of Burkham.  They are seen but seldom in these parts: are fine shewey birds.

Mr Hool’s man says that he caught this day in a lane near Hackwood-park, many rooks, which attempting to fly fell from the trees with their wings frozen together by the sleet, that froze as it fell.  There were, he affirms, many dozens so disabled!  It is certain that Mr H’s man did bring home many rooks & give them to the poor neighbours.

The hawk proinith, says the new glossary to Chaucer; this is picketh, or dresseth her feathers: from thence the word preen, a term in ornithology, when birds adjust, & oil their feathers.

Some ivy berries half-grown.

Grey, & white water-wagtails appear every day; they never leave us in the winter.

Grey & sharp.  Vast flight of wild-fowl haunt Woollmer-pond: the water in some parts is covered with them.  They are probably more numerous on account of the early severity of the weather on the continent.