The Natural History of Selborne

Mackerel sky.  A wheat-ear seen on the down.

A trufle-hunter called on us, having in his pocket several large trufles found in this neighbourhood.  He says these roots are not to be found in deep woods, but in narrow hedge rows & the skirts of coppices.  Some trufles, he informed us, lie two feet within the earth; & some quite on the surface: the latter, he added, have little or no smell, & are not so easily discovered by the dogs as those that lie deeper.  Half a crown a pound was the price which he asked for this commodity.  Some few bunches of grapes just eatable.  Some of the latter nectarines well-flavoured.  On this day, Dr Chandler saw several swallows, flying as usual, near Cologne: he had observed none at Rolle since the beginning of September, nor none on his way to Cologne.  On the 12, in his way to Brussels, he saw more.

Two hop-waggons return with loads of woollen rags, to be spread & dug in as manure for the hop-gardens.

Many loads of hops set-out for wey hill.

Grapes do not ripen: they are as backward as in the bad summer of 1782: the crop is large.

Gathered in Chaumontel pears: tied endive.  Mr Ben, & Mrs Ben White left us.

The breed of hares is great: last year there were few.  Some have remarked that hared abound most in wet summers.

Gathered in burgamot, & Creson burgamot pears.  Gathered some grapes, but they are not good.  B. Th. White sowed two pounds of furze-seed from Ireland on the naked part of the hanger.  The furze-seed sown by him on the same space in May last is come-up well.