The Natural History of Selborne

Swallows & house-martins begin to collect dirt for building.  The swallow carries straws to mix with it.  Chafers swarm.

Pulled the first lettuces, brown Dutch, which had stood the winter under the fruit-wall: they begin to loave.

Chafers have not been plenty since the year 1770.  Eights swifts now appear they arrive in pairs.  Martins encrease.  Hanger almost in full leaf.  Chafers in vast numbers. Regulus non cristatus major,  shaking it’s wings it makes at intervals a sibilous stammering noise on the tops of the tallest beechen-woods: it abounds in the beechen-woods on the Sussex down where the two other species are never heard.  It spends it’s time on the tops of the tallest trees.  The caprimulgus is the last bird of passage but one: the stoparola is the last.  The house-martin begin to build as early, as when it arrives early.  It came very late.

White-throat warbles softly.  Mistake: it was the black-cap: whitethroats are always harsh & unmusical.

The redstart whistles perching on the tops of tall trees near houses.  Few swifts yet.  In Devon near Exeter Swallows did not arrive ’til April 25; & house martins not ’til the middle of May.  Swifts were seen in plenty on May 1st.  At Blackburn in Lancashire swifts were seen April 28: Swallows April 29.  House-martins May 1st.  In some former years, I see, house-martins have not appeared ’til the beginning of May the case was the same this Year & yet they afterwards abounded.  These long delays are more in favour of migration than of a torpid state.  House-martins afterwards were very plenty.

Grass grows, & is forward.  Apple-trees blow.  Plums shew little bloom.

Asparagus in plenty.  Orchard-grass cut for the horses.

White-throat returns & whistles.

There is a good bloom on the pear-trees.  Great bloom of cherries.

Vine-shoots have been pinched by the frost.  Two house-martins up at Mr Yalden’s.  If bees, who are much the best setters of cucumbers, do not happen to take kindly to the frames, the best way is to tempt them by a little honey put on the male & female bloom.  When they are once induced to haunt the frames, they set all the fruit, & will hover with impatience round the lights in a morning, ’til the glasses are opened.