The Natural History of Selborne

The farmers are very much behind in their plowings for a spring crop thro’ the wetness of the season.

Men dig in the hop-garden.

Chaffinches destroy the buds in the honey-suckles.

Potted cucumbers: bed warm.

As there has been little frost, the antirrhinum cymb: flourishes, & blossoms thro’ the winter.

Brewed strong beer.

Sowed cucumber-seeds in pots plunged in the hot-bed: bed heats well.

Bull-finches make sad havoc among the buds of my cherry, & apricot trees they also destroy the buds of the goos-berries, & honey-suckles!  [Later note:] These birds were not observed at the time, nor do they seem to abound.  It appeared afterward, that this damage was done by a flight of gross-beaks.

Thaw, sun, grey.  Hot-bed heats.

Benham finished mending the hedges.