The Natural History of Selborne

This afternoon the weather turning suddenly very warm produced an unusual appearance; for the dew on the windows was on the outside of the glass, the air being warmer abroad than within.

Nuthatches rap about on the trees.  Crocuss begins to sprout.  The leaves of the medlar-tree are now turned of a bright yellow.  On of the first trees that becomes naked is the wall-nut: the mulberry, & the ash, especially if it bears many keys, and hte Horse-chestnut come next.  All lopped trees, while their heads are young, carry their leaves a long while.  Apple-trees & peaches remain green ’til very late, often ’til the end of Novr: young beeches never cast their leaves ’til spring, ’til the new leaves sprout & push them off: in the autumn the beechen-leaves turn of a deep chestnut color.  Tall beeches cast their leaves towards the end of Octr.  Magpies sometimes, I see, perch on the backs of sheep, & pick the lice & ticks out of their wool; nay, mount on their very heads; while those meek quadrupeds seem pleased, & stand perfectly still, little aware that their eyes are in no small danger; & that their assiduous friends would be glad of an opportunity of picking their bones.

Redwings.  These birds begin to appear at last.

Grey, clouds & sun, sweet day.

Infinite quantities of haws & sloes.  Nothing could be more lovely than the ride from Andover to Alresford over the Hants downs.  The shepherds mow the charlock growing among the wheat.  I saw no fieldfares all thro’ my Journey.  If they come, as Rays says they do, “ventis vehementer spriantibus” they can have had no advantage of that kind; for the autumn has been remarkably still.

The great fieldfare returns.  Beetles abound every evening.  Farmer Canning’s new barley-ricks smoke & ferment like hot-beds already.

Flies abound.  They stay long after the hirundines are withdrawn.  Tipulae sport in the air.

Farmer Cannings has fine weather for his barley harvest, Mr Cannings has now 48 acres of barley abroad either standing or in cock: it was not sown ’til the rains came in the beginning of June.  He is now ricking one field; the other is standing.  The grain is lank, & the cocks cold, & damp.

The trufle-hunter was here this morning: he did not take more than half a pound, & those were small.

Four swallows were seen skimming about in a lane below Newton.  This circumstance seems much in favor of hiding, since the hirundines seemed to be with drawn for some weeks.  It looks as if the soft weather had called them out of their retirement.  My Brother’s turkies avail themselves much of the beech-mast which they find in his grove: they also delight in acorns, & wallnuts, & hasel-nuts: no wonder therefore that they subsist wild in the woods of America, where they are supposed to be indigenous.  They swallow hasel-nuts whole.