The Natural History of Selborne

The mill at Hawlkey cannot work one-tenth of the time for want of water.

The greens of turnips wither, & look rusty.  The distress in these parts for want of water is very uncommon.  The well at the Grange-farm is dry; & so are many in the villages round: & even the well at Old-place in the parish of E. Tisted, tho’ 270 feet, or 45 fathoms deep, will not afford water for a brewing.  All the while the little pond on Selborne down still has some water, th’ it is very low; & the little pond just over the hedge in Newton great farm abates but little.  The ponds in the vales are now dry a third time,   Most of the wells in Selborne-street are empty; & mine has only three feet of water.  The people at Medsted, Bentworth, & those upland parts are in great want.  Well-head sends-out a considerable stream still, not apparently abated since we measured it last.  The last wet month was Decmr 1779, during which fell 6 inch. 28 hund. of rain: since which the quantity of water has been very little.

On frequented roads the dust is very troublesome.

Farmer Parsons fetches a waggon-load of water from Dorton for brewing!  Wells fail.

A brood of swallows over Oakhanger-pond!

My well rises.  My hedges are beautifully tinged.  Wood-larks sing sweetly thro’ this soft weather.

The grass was covered with cob-webs, which being loaded with dew, looked like frost.  A grey hen was lately killed on that part of Hind-head which is called the Devil’s punch-bowl.  This solitary bird has haunted those parts for some time.

Several women & children have eruptions on their hands, &c., is this owing to the lowness of the water in the wells, &c?  It seems this often befalls after they have been employed in hop-picking.

Several herons at Wolmer-pond, & a tringa octrophus, or white-rumped sand-piper, Cranmer-pond in Wolmer-forest is quite dry.

No h: martins, nor swallows in the villages, nor sand-martins at the pit on Short-heath.  The white-sand in the pit above, observed thro’ a microscope, appears more sharp, & angular than the yellow sand of the forest.  Gathered in the nonparels, & royal russets.  Much gossamer flying.