The Natural History of Selborne

Bro. Ben, & wife Hannah came.  Woodcock, & red wings return, & are seen.

My beeches in the field shed ripe mast.  Some of the Bantams sicken.

Gathered cucumbers for picklers.  One of my Apricot-trees withers, & looks as if it would die.  Hunter’s moon rises early. Mrs Ben White left us, & took Tome with her, leaving Ben behind.

It has been observed that divers flies, besides their sharp, hooked nails, have also skinny palms or flaps to their feet, whereby they are enabled to stick on glass & other smooth bodies, & to walk on ceilings with their backs downward, by means of the pressure of the atmosphere on those flaps.  The weight of which they easily overcome in cold weather when they are brisk and alert.  But in the decline of the year, this resistance becomes too mighty for their diminished strength; & we see flies labouring along, & lugging their feet in windows as if they stuck fast to the glass, & it is with the utmost difficulty they can draw one foot after another, & disengage their hollow caps from the slippery surface.  Upon the same principle that flies stick, & support themselves, do boys, by way of play, carry heavy weights by only a piece of wet leather at the end of a string clapped close on the surface of a stone.  Tho’ the Virgoloeuse pears always rot before they ripen, & are eatble, yet when baked dry on  a tin, they become an excellent sweet-meat.

Earthed up the celeri, which is very gross, & large.

Gathered-in the Chaumontel, swans-egg, & Virgoleuse pears: the latter rot before they ripen.  Gathered also the kitchen apples at the end of the fruit-wall, & the knobbed russetings: of both there is a great crop.  Gathered the Cadillac pears, a small crop.

Received a bag of hops from Mr. Hale, weight 61 pounds.

Arrived off the isle of Wight the Earl Fitzwilliams Captn Dundas from Madras.  Charles Etty sailed in this India man as second mate about the 10th of March, 1790.  [later note]  Poor Charles Etty did not come home in the Earl Fitzwilliams, having unfortunately broke his leg at Madras the evening before the ship sailed for Europe.

Gathered one fine nectarine, the last.  My double-bearing raspberries produce a good crop.  Grapes very fine, endive good.

Nep. B. White left us, & went to London.  It was with difficulty that we procured water enough for  brewing from my well.