BARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIF. 



103 



-quantity of hail that fell was very great — was simply 

 enormous, the ground being soon covered and white 

 with it in the immediate vicinity, as were also the 

 tops of the houses. The hailstorm was immediately 

 succeeded by a heavy and continuous fall of rain, 

 accompanied by a remarkably low temperature, 

 which lasted all the afternoon ; the evening and 

 night were fair, but quite cold. At five p.m. the 

 hail, notwithstanding the long-continued heavy 1 

 •downpour of rain, still lay thick in furrows, | 

 behind hedges and dykes, and also amongst the 

 grass ; while at the back of the buildings which look 

 westward, the hail lay in large wreaths, formed in 

 great part by the large quantity that had slidden 

 down from the tops of the houses, like snow in a thaw. 

 Such was the violence of the storm of hail that the 

 foliage of the trees and more especially that of the 

 hedgerow and fruit-bushes was lacerated and cut up, 

 leaves and parts of leaves strewing the ground. The 

 young green fruit of the gooseberry and currant 

 bushes was also in part struck off, and to a great 

 extent scarred by the hail, which was of large size, 

 ibut not, as is very frequently the case in violent 

 •thunderstorms in summer, of exceptionally large size 

 .and icy consistency. The foliage of the butterbur, 

 a large leaved dock, and the stinging-nettle, was 

 .literally riddled as well as scarred, the two former 

 especially, their leaves being large and presenting a 

 goodly surface and resistance to the hailstones which 

 have acted as so many shot ; whilst in the garden the 

 large leaves of the rhubarb were also riddled and 

 scarred, as were those of the peony ; and those of the 

 rag-jack, potato, bean and pea were greatly 

 lacerated and cut up and scarred, those of the first 

 tree more especially. The foliage of the primroses 

 which form a border to some of the walks, being 

 close to the ground and presenting much resistance, 

 was cut up worse than any in the garden, that of the 

 young radishes perhaps excepted. The extent of 

 country over which this remarkable fall of hail ex- 

 tended (remarkable, inasmuch as such a fall at the 

 time of year was beyond the experience of persons 

 verging on sixty years), was, so far as could be 

 gleaned, but limited. At the village of Belsay, which 

 is between two and three miles to the eastward, no 

 hail fell, though the storm of lightning, thunder and 

 heavy rain was severe enough. Even at Harnham 

 village, which is but a short distance off to the 

 north-east (less than half a [mile), a very great 

 deal less hail felHhan fell here (Harnham Buildings) ; 

 while at Saugh House, one mile to the east, and at 

 Edge House, one mile to the west, little or no hail 

 fell. At Bavington, 'about six miles in a south-westerly 

 direction, no hail fell, and the thunderstorm was at 

 some distance from it ; there was, however, a 

 rainfall. 



June 7th. — Morning very cold ; forenoon dull, very 

 cold, the wind northerly ; a goodly wreath of yester- 

 day's hail still lies at the back of the buildings. 



Afternoon cloudy and quite cool, the wind northerly, 

 at 2.30 P.M. all the hail- wreath had not yet disap- 

 peared from the back, and at 3.30 p.m. a sharp 

 shower of damp hail fell ; these are fair criteria 

 of the lowness of temperature existing to-day. Even- 

 ing and night fair, but cloudy, and quite cold. A 

 week to-day the heat was oppressive, it being a 

 genuine summer day, as was also the day previous. 



June Sth. — A cold cloudy day and evening, the 

 wind northerly ; the night, though fine, was remark- 

 ably cold. Since the commencement of the thunder- 

 storm on Monday last (6th inst.), the weather has 

 been positively cold ; the temperature fell consider- 

 ably on Saturday last (4th inst.), and on Sunday, 

 which was otherwise a fine day, the air was quite 

 cool, the wind being then, as on the Saturday, 

 westerly. On IMonday morning the wind was easterly 

 and cool. 



June 9th. — Morning and forenoon cloudy and very 

 cold, the wind being still northerly ; evening and 

 early night finer, calmer, and less cold. Up till to- 

 day, [from the 6th inst. inclusive, there have been 

 some very severe frosts at nights. 



June loth. — Fine sunny morning, but cool ; had 

 been a very severe frost overnight ; forenoon fine, 

 cloudy, calm and much warmer than it has been 

 since Monday's storm ; afternoon, evening and night 

 dull and very cool — cold indeed. Since Monday 

 inclusive, the only species of humble-bee that has 

 been obsei-ved flying has been the moss or carder 

 bee, which I have frequently seen rifling the blossoms 

 of the bugle {Ajitga reptans) and water avens ( Geiuii 

 rivale), notwithstanding the winter-like coldness that 

 has prevailed. 



From this date the air became warmer, though the 

 weather still continued very changeable. 



Now, is it not extremely probable that a storm 

 such as this, accompanied and succeeded by such a 

 low temperature, cloudy weather, and a succession 

 of keenly frosty nights, would kill off the majority of 

 queen wasps and humble-bees that were in full 

 activity, founding new colonies immediately before 

 and, indeed, probably right up to its occurrence? 

 Why the moss or carder bee {B. niusconuii) should 

 have survived in superior numbers to the others was 

 possibly owing to its greater hardiness, or better pro- 

 tection in its dry grass and moss hive ; that it is of a 

 hardy nature was evident from its being on the wing 

 during the prevalence of the spell of winter-like 

 weather described. This bee is at this place called 

 the " Miller " and "Dusty Miller " : when a boy, at 

 school a few miles north-east from Newcastle-upon- 

 Tyne, it was the "Sandy Bum'ler " of juveniles; 

 while the common bumble bee (j9. terrestris) was " The 

 Bum'ler," the orange-tailed humble-bee {B. lapidm-id) 

 being the "Red-arsed* Bum'ler;" all three names 

 being distinctive enough. 



* Vide Nuttall's " Dictionary." 



