The Natural History of Selborne

Thistles begin to blow.  Young wheat-ears, birds so called.

Vast rain, cold wind.  Quite a winter’s day.

The less reed-sparrow, passer arundinaceus minor Raii, sings sweetly, imitating the notes of several birds: it haunts near waters, & sings all night long.  Cold weather: nothing grows well. St foin wants to be cut.  A distinct lunar rain-bow.

The bank-martin brings out its young: they were so helpless that we took one as it sate on a rail. Young swallows appear

Great species of bat appears; it flies very high. The fern-own begins chattering just at three quarters after 8 o’clock at night.

Young hedge-hogs.  Wood-strawberries.

Bees swarm.  Turtle-dove cooes.

Saw the planet Venus enter the disk of the sun.  Just as the sun was setting the spot was very visible to the naked eye.  Nightingale sings; wood-owl hoots;  fern-own chatters.

If the bough of a vine be cut late in the spring just before the shoots push out, it will bleed miserably; but after the leaf is out any part may be taken off without the least inconvenience.  So oaks may be barked while the leaf is budding; but as soon as they are expanded the bark will no longer part from the wood; because the sap, that lubricates the bark & makes it part, is evaporated off thro’ the leaves.

Fern-owl chatters in ye hanger.