Meteorological Observations. 447 



the section of the great genus Equus of which Dr. Gray has formed 

 his genus Asinus. It is most nearly alhed to the Djiggetai {Equus 

 (Asinus) Hemionus), but differs from that species in the smaller size 

 and better shape of the head, its shorter ears, and its tail partially 

 covered with long hairs. It thus appears to be intermediate between 

 the Djiggetai and the Horse, for which reason M. Saint-Hilaire pro- 

 poses to name it Equus hemippus. Its colour is the same as that of 

 the Djiggetai, and, like that species, it has a blackish mane and dor- 

 sal line. It is supposed to be a native of the deserts of Syria between 

 Palmyra and Bagdad. — Comptes Rendus, Dec. 31, 1855, p. 1214. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MARCH 1856. 



Chiswick. — March I. Cloudy : fine. 2. Cloudy : slight rain. 3, 4. Cloudy and 

 cold. 5. Overcast. 6. Cloudy and cold : fine. 7. Cloudy : fine. 8. Fine : slight 

 rain. 9. Cloudy. 10. Foggy : fine. 11. Foggy : hazy : frosty at night, 12. 

 Clear and frosty : cloudy and windy. 13. Cold and dry. 14.* Excessively cold 

 wind : clear, cold and dry. 15. Cloudy. 16. Slight haze : heavy rain at night. 

 17. Hazy. 18. Hazy: fine rain. 19,20. Hazy: overcast. 21. Hazy: cloudy. 



22. Overcast : fine. 23. Hazy : fine : clear. 24, 25. Hazy and cold. 26. Cloudy 

 and cold. 27. Clear : fine : frosty. 28. Cloudy and cold. 29. Dry cold haze : 

 frosty at night. 30. Slight haze : fine : sharp frost. 31. Slight haze : very fine : 

 frosty. 



Mean temperature of the month 38°-95 



Mean temperature of March 1855 37 '61 



Mean temperature of March for the last thirty years 42-09 



Average amount of rain in March 1-344 inch. 



Boston. — March 1, 2. Cloudy. 3. Cloudy: rain p.m. 4, 5. Cloudy. 6. Cloudy: 

 rain A.M. 7 — 9. Fine. 10. Cloudy. 11. Cloudy: snow a.m. 12, 13. Cloudy. 



14. Fine. 15. Cloudy. 16. Fine. 17. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 18. Cloudy : 

 rain p.m. 19. Cloudy: rain a.m. 20. Cloudy. 21. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 

 22—26. Cloudy. 27. Fine. 28. Cloudy. 29—31. Fine. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — March 1. Cloudy a.m. : fine, drizzle p.m. 2. Drizzle 

 A.M. : fine, cloudy p.m, 3. Damp a.m. : fine, clear p.m. 4. Showers, fine a.m. : 

 fine, cloudy p.m. 5. Damp a.m. : fine," aurora p.m. 6. Drops a.m. : fine p.m. 

 7. Fog A.M. and p.m. 8. Showers a.m. : fine, aurora p.m. 9. Showers a.m. : 

 cloudy P.M. 10. Frost a.m. : clear, frost p.m. 11, 12. Snow-showers a.m. and 

 P.M. 1 3. Snow, frost a.m. : clear, frost p.m. 14. Clear, frost a.m. : very clear p.m. 



15. Bright a.m.: very clear, aurora p.m. 16. Clear a.m.: very clear p.m. 17. 

 Bright A.M. : cloudy p.m. 18. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 19. Bright a.m. : cloudy 

 P.M. 20,21. Cloudy, fine a.m. and P.M. 22. Bright, fine a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 



23, 24. Cloudy a.m. : cloudy, fine p.m. 25. Cloudy a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 26. 

 Bright A.M. : cloudy, fine p.m. 27. Bright a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 28.. Cloudy 

 A.M. : very clear, fine p.m. 29. Clear a.m. : very clear, fine p.m. 30. Cloudy 

 A.M. : very clear, fine, aurora p.m. 31. Bright a.m. : cloudy, fine p.m. 



Mean temperature of March for previous twenty -nine years... 40°-40 



Mean temperature of this month 40 -39 



Mean temperature of March 1855 36 '61 



Average quantity of rain in March for fifteen previous years . 2-60 inches. 



This month has been unprecedentedly dry, the rain being only about one-eighth 

 of the average for March, and less than that of any month during my observations, 

 except April 1852, when it was only 'll of an inch. Rain fell only on eight days. 



