The Natural History of Selborne

Rain, dark & raw.  Considerable rain in the night.  Harsh wind.

Glass sinks steadily tho’ ye weather looks like dry.  Turneps are all rotten, & the wheat-fields look quite bare, & destitute of all verdure.  Farmer parsons sows wheat in his fallow behind Beacher’s shop, which was drowned in the winter  Mem: to observe what crop he gets from this spring-sowing.  The spring sowing round this village proved the finest wheat & best crop.

Blackbird whistles. Helleborus viridis emerges, & shows it’s flower budds. Bror Henry’s field opposite his house. was fallowed for barley before the two frosts, all save the headlands: mem: to enquire if the earlier fallowing in that part proved of any advantage.

A Decanter of water froze in my chamber. Thermomr abroad 28. Eggs in the ovary of a turkey-pullet about the size of mustard-seeds. Mem: to enquire when the pullets of the same brood will begin to lay.

Frost, sun, fog, rain, sown.  Bunting twitters.

Warm fog.  Grey crows. Creeping mist over the meadows.

Hens sit.  Soft, spring-like weather.  Rooks resort to their nest-trees.

Hedge-sparrow essays to sing.

Turneps are very small this year, and are on the decay.

Sky strangely streaked with blue and red.  Wind & rain in the night.  Larks rise & essay to sing.  Daws begin to come to churches.