The Natural History of Selborne

Mr Taylor brought me a pine-apple, which was, for the season, large, & well-flavoured.

Dr Chandler brought a vast pear from the garden of his niece at Hampton, which weighed 20 ounces, & 3/4, & measured in length 6 inches, & 3/4, & in girth 11 inches. It is the sort known by the name of Dr Uvedale’s great Saint Germain.

Planted in the garden 2 codling-trees, 2 damson-trees, & 22 goose-berry trees, sent me by Bror. T. W.

Some few grapes just eatable: a large crop.  Housed all the billet wood.  Leaves fall in showers.  A curlew is heard loudly whistling on the hill towards the Wadden. On this day Mrs S. Barker was brought to bed of a boy, who advances my nepotes to the round & compleat number of 60.

Made presents of berberries to several neighbours.  Ring-ouzel seen in the King’s field.

The crop of stoneless berberries is prodigious!  Among the many sorts of people that are injured by this very wet summer, the peat-cutters are great sufferers:  for they have not disposed of half the peat & turf which they ave prepared; & the poor have lost their season for laying in their forest fuel.  The brick-burner can get no dry heath to burn his lime, & bricks: nor can I house my cleft wood, which lies drenched in wet.  The brick-burner could never get his last makings of tiles & bricks dry enough for burning the autumn thro’ so they must be destroyed, & worked up again.  He had paid duty for them; but is, I understand, to be reimbursed.

Gathered-in the white pippins, about a bushel; many were blown down last week.  Oats housed.

Goose-berries wither on the trees.

Heavy showers.  Apples fall much.  The well at Temple is 77 feet deep: 60 to the water, & 17 afterward.  My well measures only 63 feet.

Preserved some cherries. My meadow-hay was carried, in decent order. As we were coming from Newton this evening, on this side of the Money-dells, a cock Fern-owl came round us, & showed himself in a very amusing manner, whistling, or piping as he flew. Whenever he settled on the turf, as was often the case, Mr Churton went, & sprung him, & brought him round again. He did not clash his wings over his back, so as to make them snap. At the top of the Bostal we found a bat hawking for moths. Fern-owls & bats are rivals in their food, commanding each great powers of wing, & contending who shall catch the phalaenae of the evening.