NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 279 



The consequences of this severity were, that in Hamp- 

 shire, at the melting of the snow, the wheat looked well, 

 and the turnips came forth little injured. The laurels and 

 laurustines were somewhat damaged, but only in hot aspects. 

 No evergreens were quite destroyed, and not half the 

 damage sustained that befell in January 1768. Those 

 laurels that were a little scorched on the south sides were 

 perfectly untouched on their north sides. The care taken 

 to shake the snow day by day from the branches seemed 

 greatly to avail the author's evergreens. A neighbour's 

 laurel-hedge, in a high situation, and facing to the north, 

 was perfectly green and vigorous,; and the Portugal laurels 

 remained unhurt. 



As to the birds, the thrushes and blackbirds were mostly 

 destroyed ; and the partridges, by the weather and poachers, 

 were so thinned that few remained to breed the following 

 year. 



LETTER LXIII. 



As the frost in December 1784 was very extraordinary, you, 

 I trust, will not be displeased to hear the particulars ; and 

 especially when I promise to say no more about the 

 severities of winter after I have finished this letter. 



The first week in December was very wet, with the baro- 

 meter very low. On the 7th, with the barometer at 28*5 

 came on a vast snow, which continued all that day and the 

 next, and most part of the following night ; so that by the 

 morning of the 9th the work of men were quite overwhelmed, 

 the lanes filled so as to be impassable, and the ground 



