The Natural History of Selborne (page 1/3)

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Partridges.

“Partridges in vast plenty are bred in good seasons on the verge of this forest [the forest of Wolmer, mostly in the parish of Selborne], into which they love to make excursions; and in particular, in the dry summers of 1740 and 1741, and some years after, they swarmed to such a degree that parties of unreasonable sportsmen killed twenty [...] [more...] [$]

The Black Grouse

The Black Grouse. This bird is now [2006] close to extinciton in the United Kingdom. [more...] [$]

Beech.

“The high part of the south-west consists of a vast hill of chalkk rising three hundred feet above the village, and is divided into a sheep-down, the high wood and a long hanging wood, called The [...]beech, the most lovely of all forest trees, whether we consider its smooth rind or bark, its glossy foliage, or graceful pendulous boughs.” (p. 3) [more...] [$]

Title Page (Natural History of Selborne)

The title page of the 1879 edition is as follows: [more...] [$]

The Magpie

Magpies and jays flutter with powerless wings, and make no dispatch; herons seem incumbered with too much sail for their light bodies; but these vast hollow wings are necessary in carrying burdens, such as large fishes, and the like; pigeons, and particularly the sort called smiters, have a way of clashing their wings the one against the other over [...] [more...] [$]