The Natural History of Selborne, Volume 1J. and A. Arch, 1822 - Natural history |
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Page 40
... feeding . During this great proportion of the day they drop much dung , in which insects nestle ; and so supply food for the fish , which would be poorly subsisted but from this contin- gency . Thus Nature , who is a great economist ...
... feeding . During this great proportion of the day they drop much dung , in which insects nestle ; and so supply food for the fish , which would be poorly subsisted but from this contin- gency . Thus Nature , who is a great economist ...
Page 60
... feeding on haws , appeared in this kingdom in the Winter of 1685 . The mention of haws puts me in mind that there is a total failure of that wild fruit , so conducive to the support of many of the winged nation . For the same severe wea ...
... feeding on haws , appeared in this kingdom in the Winter of 1685 . The mention of haws puts me in mind that there is a total failure of that wild fruit , so conducive to the support of many of the winged nation . For the same severe wea ...
Page 61
... feeding on the berries of the yew - tree , which answered to the description of the merula torquata , or ring - ouzel , were lately seen in this neighbourhood . I em- ployed some people to procure me a speci- men , but without success ...
... feeding on the berries of the yew - tree , which answered to the description of the merula torquata , or ring - ouzel , were lately seen in this neighbourhood . I em- ployed some people to procure me a speci- men , but without success ...
Page 84
... fed . But at last a tame raven , kenning him as he put forth his head , gave him such a severe stroke with his horny beak as put out one eye . After this accident the creature languished for some time and died . I need not remind a ...
... fed . But at last a tame raven , kenning him as he put forth his head , gave him such a severe stroke with his horny beak as put out one eye . After this accident the creature languished for some time and died . I need not remind a ...
Page 98
... fed on yew - ber- ries in the Spring it feeds on ivy - berries , which ripen only at that season , in March and April . I must not omit to tell you ( as you have been so lately on the study of reptiles ) that my people , every now and ...
... fed on yew - ber- ries in the Spring it feeds on ivy - berries , which ripen only at that season , in March and April . I must not omit to tell you ( as you have been so lately on the study of reptiles ) that my people , every now and ...
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Common terms and phrases
abound Alauda Andalusia animals appear April Autumn begin bird of passage birds of prey breed British Zoology brood called Carniola chaffinches colour common buzzard congeners Crista Galli cuckoo curious curlew DEAR SIR discovered district eggs feeding feet female fieldfares flocks forest frost gentleman GILBERT WHITE ground haunt hawks hedges hirundines hirundo house-martins inches insects late legs LETTER Linnæus martins Michaelmas migration morning Motacilla natural history neighbour neighbourhood nest never night numbers observed oedicnemus owls parish perhaps procure quadrupeds Raii remarkable remiges retire ring-dove ring-ousels sand-martin season seems seen SELBORNE shot sing soft soft-billed birds song songsters soon species Spring stone stone-curlew Summer suppose Sussex swallow kind swift tail THOMAS PENNANT tion titmouse trees vast village weather white-throat wild wings Winter Wolmer wonder wood woodcocks Woodlark wren young Zoology
Popular passages
Page 282 - ... to dislike ; nay, even frequenting exposed seaport towns, and making little excursions over the salt water. Horsemen on wide downs are often closely attended by a little party of swallows for miles together, which plays before and behind them, sweeping around, and collecting all the skulking insects that are roused by the trampling of the horses
Page 337 - ... cruel anguish, and threatened with the loss of the use of the limb. Against this accident, to which they were continually liable, our provident forefathers always kept a shrew-ash at hand, which, when once medicated, would maintain its virtue for ever. A shrew-ash was made thus: — Into the body of the tree a deep hole was bored with an auger, and a poor devoted shrew-mouse was thrust in alive, and plugged in, no doubt, with several quaint incantations long since forgotten.
Page 336 - ... it is supposed that a shrew-mouse is of so baneful and deleterious a nature, that wherever it creeps over a beast, be it horse, cow, or sheep, the suffering animal is afflicted with cruel anguish, and threatened with the loss of the use of the limb.
Page 252 - The white owl does indeed snore and hiss in atremendous manner; and these menaces well answer the intention of intimidating: for I have known a whole village up in arms on such an occasion, imagining the church-yard to be full of goblins and spectres. White owls also often scream horribly as they fly along; from this screaming probably arose the common people's imaginary species of screech-owl, which they superstitiously think attends the windows of dying persons.
Page 328 - A pound of common grease may be procured for four pence; and about six pounds of grease will dip a pound of rushes ; and one pound of rushes may be bought for one shilling ; so that a pound of rushes, medicated and ready for use, will cost three shillings.
Page 318 - ... these apterous insects should that day take such a wonderful aerial excursion, and why their webs should at once become so gross and material as to be considerably more weighty than air, and to descend with precipitation, is a matter beyond my skill. If I might be allowed to hazard a supposition, I should imagine that those filmy threads, when first shot, might be entangled in the rising dew, and so drawn up, spiders and all, by a brisk evaporation into the regions where clouds are formed : and...
Page 322 - These two incongruous animals spent much of their time together in a lonely orchard, where they saw no creature but each other. By degrees an apparent regard began to take place between these two sequestered individuals. The fowl would approach the quadruped with notes of complacency, rubbing herself gently against his legs : while the horse would look down with satisfaction, and move with the greatest caution and circumspection, lest he should trample on his diminutive companion.
Page 120 - NATURE'S works, the curious mind employ, Inspire a soothing melancholy joy : As fancy warms, a pleasing kind of pain Steals o'er the cheek, and thrills the creeping vein ! Each rural sight, each sound, each smell, combine ; The tinkling sheep-bell or the breath of kine ; The new-mown hay that scents the swelling breeze, Or cottage-chimney smoking through the trees. The chilling night-dews fall :— away, retire ! For see, the glow-worm lights her amorous fire ! J Thus, ere night's veil had half obscured...
Page 332 - WE had in this village, more than twenty years ago, an idiot boy, — whom I well remember, — who, from a child, showed a strong propensity to bees ; they were his food, his amusement, his sole object. And as people of this cast have seldom more than one point in view, so this lad exerted all his few faculties on this one pursuit.
Page 30 - Forest in succession for more than a hundred years. This person assures me that his father has often told him that Queen Anne, as she was journeying on the Portsmouth road, did not think the forest of Wolmer beneath her royal regard. For she came out of the great road at Lippock...