Meteorological Observations, 867 



system. The head when opened, instead of presenting a distinct 

 brain or cephalic gangha, only contained a small quantity of an 

 amorphous and liquid pulp. In the thorax also, the large nerves 

 passing into the femora could not be detected. M. Graells of 

 Madrid was likewise unable to discover any traces either of ganglia 

 or nerves. 



M. Leon Dufour states that the tracheae are not plentiful, so that 

 the respiration cannot be very energetic, and the locomotive power of 

 the animal is therefore small. In the structure of the alim entary 

 organs, the Nemoptera differs from the PanorpidcBy in which family 

 it has usually been placed, and M. L^on Dufour thinks that its food 

 is of a fluid nature. — Comptes Rendus, Dec. 31, 1855, p. 1204. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR FEB. 1856. 



Chiswick. — February 1. Light clouds : frosty. 2. Cloudy. 3. Frosty : fine 

 throughout. 4. Overcast : slight rain. 5. Very fine : boisterous at night. 6. 

 Densely clouded : boisterous. 7. Uniformly overcast : rain. 8. Densely over- 

 cast : fine : cloudy. 9. Exceedingly fine. 10. Cloudy. 11. Foggy : rain : over- 

 cast. 12. Rain : fine : rain at night. 13. Rain : showery throughout. 14." Rain: 

 fine. 15. Cloudy : very fine : foggy at night. 16. Foggy : very fine : foggy. 17. 

 Hazy : overcast : foggy at night. 18. Overcast : sUght snow. 19. Hazy : cold 

 and raw. 20. Cloudy and cold throughout. 21. Slight rain: small hail occa- 

 sionally. 22. Overcast : slight rain. 23. Fine throughout : cloudy at night. 

 24. Fine : overcast : clear and frosty. 25. Overcast throughout. 26. Cloudy : 

 slight rain. 27. Overcast. 28. Very slight drizzle : overcast : cloudy. 29. Foggy : 

 cloudy : frosty. 



Mean temperature of the month 41°'54 



Mean temperature of Feb. 1855 28 '01 



Mean temperature of Feb. for the last thirty years 38 -71 



Average amount of rain in Feb 1 543 inch. 



Boston. — Feb. 1 — 3. Fine. 4, 5. Cloudy. 6. Rain a.m. and p.m. 7, 8. Cloudy : 

 rain A.M. 9. Cloudy. 10. Cloudy : rain a.m. 11. Cloudy : rain p.m. 12. Rain 

 A.M. 13. Cloudy : rain p.m. 14, 15. Fine. 16—22. Cloudy. 23, 24. Fine. 

 25—28. Cloudy. 29. Foggy. 



Sandwick Manse, Orkney. — Feb. 1. Cloudy a.m. : showers, thaw p.m. 2. Cloudy 

 A.M. : fine p.m. 3. Fine, bright a.m. : fine, clear p.m. 4. Fine, cloudy a.m. : 

 fine, clear p.m. 5. Fine, drops a.m. : fine, cloudy p.m. 6. Bright a.m. : rain p.m. 

 7. Bright a.m. : showers p.m. 8. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 9. Drops a.m. : clear p.m. 

 10. Bright A.M. : clear, showers p.m. 11. Bright a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 12. Rain 

 A.M. : showers p.m. 13. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 14. Snow-showers a.m. : 

 showers p.m. 15. Rain a.m. : cloudy p.m. 16. Drizzle, showers a.m. : drizzle p.m. 

 17. Damp a.m. and p.m. 18. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 19. Cloudy, frost a.m. : 

 clear, fine p.m. 20. Bright a.m. : cloudy, fine p.m. 21. Bright a.m. : clear p.m. 

 22. Bright a.m. : showers, clear p.m. 23. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 24. Cloudy 

 A.M. : clear p.m. 25. Rain a.m. : showers, clear, aurora p.m. 26. Cloudy a.m. : 

 drizzle p.m. 27. Showers a.m. : fine, cloudy p.m. 28. Drizzle a.m. : damp p.m. 

 29. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 



Mean temperature of Feb. for previous twenty-nine years ... 38°'01 



Mean temperature of this month 40 '84 



Mean temperature of Feb. 1855 31 -64 



Average quantity of rain in Feb. for fifteen previous years ... 3*25 inches. 



The storm which raged so violently in the South of Scotland on the 6th and 7th 



did not reach Orkney or the North of Scotland, but again we had this month as 



well as during the gale of last month a great fall of the barometer, whicli stood 



at 28-49 on the 6th at midnight. 



