July 4
Posted by sydney on Jul 4th, 2009
- 1790: July 4, 1790 – The woman, who brought me two fern-owl eggs last year on July 14, on this day produced me two more one of which had been laid this morning, as appears plainly, because there was only one in the nest the evening before. They were found, as last July, on the verge of the down above the hermitage, under a beechen shrub on the naked ground. Last year those eggs were full of young, & just ready to be hatched. The circumstances point out the exact time when these curious nucturnal, migratory birds lay their eggs and hatch their young. Fern-owls, like snipes, stone-curlews, & some other birds, make no nest. Birds that build on the ground do not make much of nests.
- 1789: July 4, 1789 – A cock red-backed butcher-bird, or flusher, was shot in Hartley-gardens, where it had built a nest. My garden is in high beauty, abounding with solstitial flowers, such as roses, corn-flags, late orange-lillies, pinks, scarlet lychnises, &c. &c. The early honey-suckles were in their day full of blossoms, & so fragrant, that they perfumed the street with their odour: the late yellow honey-suckle is still in high perfection, & is a most lovely shrub; the only objection is that having a limber stem, & branches, it does not make a good standard.
- 1788: July 4, 1788 – Gathered cherries for preserving. Cut a doz. of artichokes. Braod beans come in. Sowed endive.
- 1787: July 4, 1787 – Timothy Turner cuts Baker’s hill, the 20th crop: over ripe.
- 1785: July 4, 1785 – Gathered several pounds of cherries to preserve: they are very fine.
- 1784: July 4, 1784 – On this day my Godson, Littleton Etty discovered a young Cuckow in one of the yew hedges of the vicarage garden, sitting in a small nest that would scarce contain the bird, tho’ not half grown. By watching in a morning we found that the owners of the nest were hedge-sparrows, who were much busied in feeding their great booby. The nest is in so secret a place that it is to be wondered how the parent Cuckow could discover it. Tho’ the bird is very young it is very fierce, gaping, & striking at peoples fingers, & heaving up by way of menace, & striving to intimidate those that approach it. This is now only the fourth young cuckow that I have ever seen in a nest: three of those h. sparrows, & one in that of a tit-lark. As I rose up the N. field-hill lane I saw young partridges, that were about two or three days old, skulking in the cart-ruts; while the dams ran hovering & crying up the horse-track, as if wounded, to draw off my attention.
- 1782: July 4, 1782 – My flower-bank is now in high beauty.
- 1781: July 4, 1781 – The bloom of the lime hangs in beautiful golden tassels.
- 1780: July 4, 1780 – Female ants, big with egg, come-out from under the stairs.
- 1777: July 4, 1777 – New moon. The vines begin to blow. They blowed in 1774 June 26: in 1775 June 7: & in 1776 June 25.
- 1775: July 4, 1775 – Whortle-berries ripe.
- 1774: July 4, 1774 – Fern-owls breed but two young at a time: but breed, I think, twice in a summer.
- 1773: July 4, 1773 – Hops do not cover their poles well, checked perhaps by the cold, black weather: they are pretty much infested by aphides, that begin to abound.
- 1772: July 4, 1772 – Shattering, soft showers all day. Dry weather has lasted just a month. Ground not wetted-in, half an inch.
- 1771: July 4, 1771 – Ricked 6 jobbs of meadow hay in curious order, and added the St foin to it.
- 1770: July 4, 1770 – Sultry. Thunder-like clouds rising on all sides. Heavy rain. Roses blow but poorly. Large titmouse makes his spring note.
- 1769: July 4, 1769 – Ricked my St foin in curious order: there were five small loads without a drop of rain.
- 1768: July 4, 1768 – First young swallows. Cut the first succade-melon. Grasshopper-lark sings day and night.
Theme Ported to