The Natural History of Selborne

Rooks begin to frequent the wall-nut & carry-off the fruit.

Hops in some places not yet gathered.  Grapes begin to be good: the crop is scanty, & the branches & berries small.

All things in a drowning condition!

Mr Yalden mows a field of barley.  Much barley abroad.

Planted numbers of brown Dutch lettuces under the fruit-wall to stand the winter.  *These proved very fine the spring following.

Wood-lark sings.

The oestrus curvicauda is found in Lancashire: probably the kingdom over.  It lays it’s nits on horses legs, flanks, &c. each one on a single hair.  The maggots when hatched do not enter the horses skins, but fall to the ground.  On what & how are they supported?  * Earthworms obtain & encrease in the grass-walks, where in levelling they were dug down more than 18 inches.   So that they were either left in the soil, deep as it was removed: or else the eggs or young remained in the turf.  Worms seem to eat the earth;   also brick-dust lying among the earth, as appears by their casts.   They delight in slopes, probably to avoid being flooded, & perhaps supply slopes with mould, as it is washed away by rains.  They draw straws, stalks of vine-leaves, &c. into their holes, no doubt for the purpose of food.  Without worms perhaps vegetation would go on but lamely, since they perforate, loosen, & meliorate the soil, rendering it pervious to rains, the fibres of plants, & c.  Worms come out all the winter in mild seasons.

Swallows hawking about very briskly in all the moderate rain. Martins about.

A moor-buzzard with a white head was shot some time ago on Greatham-moor.

Much barley & oats is housed, but in poor condition.  Peaches & nect: good, but much eaten by wasps, & honey-bees.  Bees are hungry some autumns, & devour the wall-fruit.