NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 295 



weather on the Continent equally severe, or more so. But up to 

 the 4th December labour had not been suspended in Berwickshire, 

 and no snow lay there, being near the sea. 



Writing on 8th December, a correspondent in S. Uist reports 

 that, since the 29th November, the ground there has been covered 

 with snow about 1 inch deep on the low ground. " Now, all the 

 fresh-water lochs are frozen over. Weather beautiful and bright. 

 Ice strong enough to bear the weight of a man ; and ducks all at 

 sea." 



On the 9th December a rapid thaw took place, with S.W. wind, 

 and cleared off a great deal of the snow in some districts ; but 

 keen frost — 10 c to 13° — set in again on 10th, and continued. A 

 good deal of loose ice came down the Forth, but inland the thaw 

 did not carry away much ice from the rivers, and none from the 

 ponds. The Forth bore traffic across its surface opposite Carubus- 

 kenneth Abbey three days previous to the thaw. This was 

 interrupted by the thaw, but resumed again the following day. 

 Frost up to 13th, when thaw, with S.W. wind, carried away a 

 good deal of ice from the rivers, rising to half a gale of wind on 

 the night of the 14th December, during which day the thaw 

 continued. 



Winter continued, however, on the Continent with unabated 

 rigour, and, even in Spain, the Castile Canal was reported as 

 frozen over on the 13th December. The following from the 

 papers of 26th December shows the state of the winter in 

 France, &c. : — 



"The thermometer on Tuesday night went down to 2° F. in 

 Paris and to 1 ° below zero at Charleville. Numbers of persons have 

 been walking across the Seine, and on Tuesday night a torchlight 

 party crossed it, but the ice is much too uneven for skating. The 

 Western Railway Company has stopped running a number of its 

 passenger trains owing to the effects of the cold on its staff, and the 

 increase in goods traffic consequent on the difficulties of other 

 means of transport. The canals round Lille have by great efforts 

 been cleared of ice. Wolves have appeared near Charleville, Laval, 

 Bar-le-Duc, and Amiens. At Mayence the ice is so thick that 

 blacksmiths, publicans, &c, are beginning to do business on it." 



And this may be compared with the following from the Times 

 of about the same date : — 



" The singular phenomenon has been frequently observed in the 



