The Natural History of Selborne

Peaches, nectarines, & apricots in fine bloom.  No rain since the 9th: stiff ground still very wet.  Thomas began to mow the grass plot.  My new-laid turf, where not damaged by the continual standing of water after the vast rains, looks well.

This was the last day of the wet weather: but the waters were so encreased by this day’s deluge, that most astonishing floods ensued.  This rain & snow, coming on the back of such continual deluges, occasioned a flood in the S. of England beyond anything ever remembered before.  In the night between the 8th and 9th a vast fragment of an hanger in the parish of Hawkely slipped down; & at the same time several fields below were rifted & torn in a wonderful manner: two houses also & a barn were shattered, a road stopped-up, & some trees thrown-down.  50 acres of ground were disordered & damaged by this strange accident.  The turf of some pastures was driven into a sort of waves: in some places the ground sunk into hollows.

Received as a present from Mr Hinton (to whom it was sent from Exeter, with many more) one of Mr William Lucombe’s new variety of oaks: it is said to be evergreen, tho’ raised at first from an acorn belong to a deciduous tree.  They are all grafted on stocks of common oaks.  My specimen is a fine young plant, & well-rooted.  The growth of this sort is said to be wonderful.  Vid: philosoph: transact: V: 62: for the year 1772.

Daws resort to churches.

Venus shadows.

Much wheat rotted on the ground in the clays.

Ewes die in lambing.

Land-springs rise.  The titmouse, which at this time begins to make two quaint, sharp notes, which some people compare to the whetting of a saw, is the marsh-titmouse.  It is the great titmouse which sings those three chearful notes which the country people say sounds like “sit ye down”: they call the bird by that name.

Several muscae appear  Skylarks would sing if the wind would permit.

The high wind last night blowed down a large apple tree in the orchard.