1777: Cut a brace of cucumbers.

1777: Winter-like: yet many sorts of flowers blow daily. The house-snail begins to appear: the naked black-snail comes forth much sooner. Slugs, which are covered with slime, as whales are with blubber, are moving all the winter in mild weather.

with water.

1777: No bank-martins appear yet at Short-heath. Cut a fine cucumber. Tho' the spring has been remarkably harsh & drying, yet the ground crumbles, & dresses very well for the spring-crops. The reason is the driness of the winter: since the ground bakes hardest after it has been most drenched...

1777: The golden-crested wren frequents the fir-trees, & probably builds in them.

1777: Cucumbers swell.

1777: The grass-walks begin to be mown. The cucumber-beds are earthed-out. Cut the first cucumber.

1777: Apricots seem to be cut-off by the late severe frosty mornings. Peaches still in bloom.

1777: Some ring-ousels appear on their spring-migration. Cucumbers swell.

1777: Cuckow sings.

1777: Some cucumbers set. The ground is finely moistened.

1777: Returned from London to Selborne.

1777: Guildford. Two swallows in the King's field.

1777: Black-cap whistles. Stone-curlew returns, & whistles.

bees to subsist so early in an empty hive?

sunny, sultry days, swallows were seen at Cobham in Surrey. Thermrs. were at that time in London up at 66 in the shade. A swarm of bees came forth at Kingsley, & were hived. From that day to April the 10th harsh, severe weather obtained, with frequent frosts & ice, & cutting winds. How are these...

1777: Two sultry days: Mrs Snooke's tortoise came forth out of the ground; but retired again to it's hybernaculum in a day or two, & did not appear any more for near a fortnight. Swallows appeared also on the same days, & withdrew again: a strong proof of their hiding. On March 26 & 27, two...

1777: [Between 18th February and 11th April, White was in London and there are only sporadic entries, some possibly by other people.]

1777: Frost, sun.

1777: Ground covered with snow.

1777: The snow is about five inches deep.

1777: Snow, snow, snow, deep snow. Thrushes hunt for shell-snails in the hedges, & eat them.

1777: Turneps rot very fast. Snow covers the ground.

1777: Dark & harsh, some snow, dark & raw, fog, sharp wind.

1777: Black frost, snow on the ground, dark with rime, fog & rime. Cucumber-plants come-up well.

1777: Very harsh day. The fieldfares now feed on sloes, which abound on the hedges. 'Til now I never observed that any birds touched the sloes.

1777: Severe frost, sun, flisky clouds, hard frost.

1777: The garden-quarters are very dry, & dig finely.

1777: Hard frost, some snow, sun & clouds, frost.

1777: Snow-drops blow.