The Natural History of Selborne, Volume 1J. and A. Arch, 1822 - Natural history |
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Page 10
... inches diameter at the little end . Twenty such trees did a purveyor find in this little wood , with this advantage , that many of them answered the descrip- tion at sixty feet . These trees were sold for twenty pounds a - piece . In ...
... inches diameter at the little end . Twenty such trees did a purveyor find in this little wood , with this advantage , that many of them answered the descrip- tion at sixty feet . These trees were sold for twenty pounds a - piece . In ...
Page 12
... eye , seems like a petrified fish of about four inches long , the cardo passing for a head and mouth . It is in reality a bivalve of the Linnæan Genus of > Mytilus , and the species of Crista Galli ; 12 NATURAL HISTORY.
... eye , seems like a petrified fish of about four inches long , the cardo passing for a head and mouth . It is in reality a bivalve of the Linnæan Genus of > Mytilus , and the species of Crista Galli ; 12 NATURAL HISTORY.
Page 14
... inches in diameter . But as these did not consist of firm stone , but were formed of a kind of terra lapidosa , or hardened clay , as soon as they were exposed to the rains and frost they mouldered away . These seemed as if they were a ...
... inches in diameter . But as these did not consist of firm stone , but were formed of a kind of terra lapidosa , or hardened clay , as soon as they were exposed to the rains and frost they mouldered away . These seemed as if they were a ...
Page 22
... Inch . Hund . 28 37 ! - 27 32 - 30 71 50 26 ! 33 71 33 80 31 55 M 39 57 * A very intelligent gentleman assures me ( and he speaks from upwards of forty years experience ) that the mean rain of any place cannot be ascertained till a ...
... Inch . Hund . 28 37 ! - 27 32 - 30 71 50 26 ! 33 71 33 80 31 55 M 39 57 * A very intelligent gentleman assures me ( and he speaks from upwards of forty years experience ) that the mean rain of any place cannot be ascertained till a ...
Page 23
... inch . for the inches . The year ; if from 1740 to 1750 , 18 " mean rain before 1763 was 204 ; from 1763 and " since , 251 ; from 1770 to 1780 , 26. If only 1773 ... inches . " hop - picking . Formerly , in the dead months OF SELBORNE . 23.
... inch . for the inches . The year ; if from 1740 to 1750 , 18 " mean rain before 1763 was 204 ; from 1763 and " since , 251 ; from 1770 to 1780 , 26. If only 1773 ... inches . " hop - picking . Formerly , in the dead months OF SELBORNE . 23.
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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...