The Natural History of Selborne

Herrings come into season.   The after-grass in this grazing-country is very short, & scanty.

Mrs Snooke has gathered-in all her apples, & pears: her fruit is finely flavoured in such hot years.  Mrs Snooke’s black grapes begin to ripen.  No wasps here.  The distress in this place for want of water is very great:  they have few wells in this deep loam; & the little pits & ponds are all dry; so that the neighbours all come for water to Mrs Snooke’s ponds.

No stone-curlews congregate this autumn at Chilgrove.

Ring-ouzels appear on their autumnal visit.

Bee-stalls are  very heavy this year: this hot dry summer has proved advantageous to bees.  Vast N. Aurora, very read, & coping over in the zenith

Gathered-in the large white pippins.  There are now some wasps.

A lime-avenue in Rotherfield-park has shed all it’s leaves.  Many ponds dry a second time.

Many ponds are dry a second time.

Just at the close of day several teams of ducks fly over the common from the forest: they go probably to the streams about Alresford.

Martins congregate in vast flocks, & frequent trees, & seem to roost in them.  The second brood of Martins near the stair-case window, which were hatched Aug. 8, came-out September 5th.  So that the building a nest, & rearing two broods take up much about four months, May, June, July, & August; during September they congregate, & retire in October.