The Natural History of Selborne

The turtle-dove returns & cooes.  Sowed white cucumbers under a hand-glass.

Plenty of rain in the night.  Trees as bare as at Xmass.

White throat.  Grass begins to grow.

Wheat begins to mead.  Redstart whistles.  Cuckow sings this year long before ye leaf appears.

Stone-curlew returns & clamours.

Nightingale.  No more swallows appear.  Great showers about.

The dry weather has lasted five weeks this day.  Just rain enough to discolour the pavements.  Myriads of minute frogs, encouraged by those few drops of rain, migrate from the ponds & pools where they were hatched.  Hence it appears that severe frost doth not interrupt the hatching & growth of young frogs.

Hay risen to four pounds per ton.  High rumbling wind.

Luscinia.  Cut the first cucumber; not a very fair fruit.  Swallow.  Colds & coughs universal.

Snow on the ground.  No oedicnemus (land curlew) has been heard yet.