384 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



Much wheat has been housed to-day. Some Canta- 

 leupes, & Succades crack well at y e eye. 



The stone-curlews clamour. The mornings, & evenings 

 are chilly. Plums, and figgs are very back-ward. The 

 large Aster with yellow thrums, supposed to be Virgil's 

 Amello, begins to flower. 



Trimm'd the vines of second wood for y e last time : 

 the grapes are very backward. 



The Yellow-hammer continues to sing. 



The uncommon Aster with a black thrum blowing. 



The variegated Epilobium in bloom. 



17. Very cold weather for the season, with a N. Wind. 

 People house their wheat very briskly. 



A very high barometer. 



Melons continue in plenty. 



The flea eats-up the Young turneps at a vast rate. 



The weather so cold & dry, that nothing grows well in 

 the Garden. 



Aug. 19. Cut all the Cantaleupes : they are not in 

 general so well-grown, & so thick-flesh'd as in former 

 Years, owing perhaps to the burning summer, which all 

 the while was attended with N. drying winds not at all 

 kindly to any kind of fruit, or Crops in the Garden. 



The bed maintains still a sensible heat. 



20. Most beautiful harvest-weather for several days : 

 the wheat will soon be all housed : that that was not 

 carry'd-in too hastily will be in curious order. 



The wren whistles. A nest of young water-wagtails is 

 just come forth. Tack'd the wall-trees : their tops are 

 shrivell' d, & their fruit advances but poorly. 



21. Took-in all the melon-frames in very dry order. 

 The bed has still some sensible heat in it. 



Very dry sultry weather with a falling glass. The night- 

 moths, & earwigs, I find, feed on the flowers by night, as 

 the bees & butterflies do by day : this I found by going-out 

 with a candle. 



22. Upon digging into the melon-bed down to the tan 

 after the frames were taken away, I found that the tan 



