The Natural History of Selborne

On this day arrived here from India Mr Charles Etty. In his passage out, the ship he belonged to was burnt off the Island of Ceylon. He came back from Madras to the Cape of good hope in the Exeter man of war; & from thence worked his passage in the Content transport, which brought him to Spit-head. The Exeter was so crazy, & worn-out, that they broke her up, & burnt her at the Cape. Mr Ch Etty brought home two species of Humming-birds which he shot at the Cape of good hope; & two Ostrich eggs from the same place: several fine shells from Joanna island & several turtle’s eggs from the Isle of Ascension. Also the Graphalium squarrosum, a curious Cudweed, from a Dutch-mans garden at the Cape. Turtle’s eggs are round, & white; a little variegated with fine streaks of red, & as large as the eggs of a kite; perhaps larger.

Men wash their sheep.  Hoed carrots, parsneps, &c.  Received 5 gallons & a quart of French brandy from Mr Edmd Woods.

Sold my St foin again to Timothy Turner; it looks well, & is in bloom.  The 17th crop.  The buyer is to cut it when he pleases.

Much damage done to the corn, grass & hops by the hail; & many windows broken! Vast flood at Gracious street! vast flood at Kaker bridge! Nipped-off all the rose-buds on the tree in the yard opposite the parlor window in order to make a bloom in the autumn. No bloom succeeded.

A pair of fern-owls haunt round the zig-zag. Columbines make a fine show; this is the third year of their blowing.

Corn looks finely.  Pricked-out some good celeri-plants.  Turned the horses into Berriman’s field.

The single white thorn over the ash-house is one vast globe of blossoms down to the ground.  Laburnums, berberries, &c. covered with bloom.  Peonies in flower.

Cinnamon rose blows.

Timothy the tortoise has been missing for more than a week. He got out of the garden at the wicket, we suppose; & may be in the fields among the grass.  Timothy found in the little bean-field short of the pound-field.  The nightingale, fern-owl, cuckow, & grass-hopper lark may be heard at the same time in my outlet.  Gryllo-talpa curs in the moist meadows.

My great single oak shows many catkins.