The Natural History of Selborne

Field-cricket makes its shrilling noise.

Showers, showers, clouds & wind.

In Arundel

Rain, dark and windy, driving rain, stormy.

Tortoise eats all day. In Mrs. Snooke’s ponds are vast spiders, which dive and conceal themselves on the undersides of plants, lying on the water: perhaps aranea aquatica Linn: urinatoria. The swallow seems to be the only bird that washes itself as it flies, by dropping into the water.

Scarabaeus melolontha. Grasshopper-lark chirps.

Wryneck pipes.  The Ringmer-tortoise came forth from it’s hybernaculum on the 6th of April, but did not appear to eat ’til May the 5th it does not eat but on hot days.  As far as I could find it has no perceptible pulse.  The mole-cricket seems to chur all night.

Tortoise eats.  Fly-catcher appears, and builds.

Fogs, shower.  Soaking shower.

Very little barley above ground.

20 horses with vast labour cannot on moderate ground sow more than three acres of barley in a day, instead of seven or eight.  The ground wants endless rolling & dragging.  the drought has lasted one month.