The Natural History of Selborne

Full moon.  Cherries begin to ripen, but are devoured by sparrows.  Began to cut my meadow-hay, a good crop, one 3rd more than last year.

Wheat generally in bloom.  The beards of barley begin to peep.

Flowers in the garden make a gaudy appearance.

No young partridges are flyers yet: but by the deportment of the dams it is plain they have chickens hatched; for they rise & fall before the horses feet, & hobble along as if wounded to draw-off attention from their helpless broods.  Sphinx forte ocellata.  A vast insect; appears after it is dusk, flying with an humming noise, & inserting it’s tongue into the bloom of the honey-suckle: it scarcely settles on the plants but feeds on the wing in the manner of humming-birds.  Omiah, who is gone on board the Resolution, is expected to sail this week for Otaheite with Capt. Cook.

Vine just begins to blow: it began last year June 7: in 1774 June 26.  Wheat begins to blow.  Thomas’s bees swarm, & settle on the Balm of Gilead fir.  first swarm.

Hay makes well.  The wind bangs the hedges & flowers about.

Cut my St foin; a large burden: rather over-blown: the nineth crop.  Libellula virgo, sive puella.  Dragon-fly with blue upright wings.

* As the way-menders are digging for stone in a bank of the street, they found a large cavern running just under the cart-way.  This cavity was covered over by a thin stratum of rock:  so that if the arch had given way under a loaded waggon, considerable damage must have ensued.

Snails begin to engender, & some flew to lay eggs:  hence it is matter of consequence to destroy them before midummer.

I saw two swifts, entangled with each other, fall out of their nest to the ground, from whence they soon rose & flew away.  This accident was probably owing to amorous dalliance.  Hence it appears that swifts when down can rise again.  Swifts seen only morning & evening: the hens probably are engaged all the day in the business of incubation;  while the cocks are roving after food down to the forest, & lakes.  These birds begin to sit about the middle of this month, & have squab young before the month is out.

Martins begin building at half hour after three in the morning.