Meteorological Observations. 447 



to devour them the instant weakness or injury prevents their keeping 

 in motion the cilia, which serve both for locomotion and defence. Let 

 these cease to move, a regular attack is made, and the animal is soon 

 devoured ; and it is interesting to observe several of these scavengers 

 sporting in the empty shell as if in derision at the havoc they have 

 made. The shells are mere specks ; what must be the size of the 

 conquerors, when the speck-like shell will hold several of them ! 

 Thousands of both of the young animals perish early — in a few hours 

 after coming into existence ; this must be the case, for if all came 

 to maturity that are hatched, our coast would be literally covered in- 

 stead of being only spotted. 



Obituary. — It is with much concern that we record the early 

 loss of a very distinguished cultivator of botanical science : 



Died at Malacca, on Sunday the 9th of February, after a short 

 illness, William Griffith, Esq., of the Madras Medical Service, and 

 late Acting Superintendent of the Honourable East India Company's 

 Botanic Garden at Calcutta, after having been antecedently emj^loyed 

 in the scientific missions sent into the Tenasserim provinces, to Assam, 

 to Suddujow and Ava, Bootan, Affghanistan, Khorassan, &c. He was 

 an active member of several scientific societies in Europe, and was 

 in his thirty-fifth year. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR APRIL 1845. 

 Chiswick, — April 1. Slight haze : clear. 2, 3. Foggy : fine: clear. 4. Foggy: 

 cloudless. 5. Thick haze : fine. 6. Clear and fine : sharp frost. 7. Clear and 

 frosty : very dry air : slight frost. 8. Densely overcast : cloudy : sharp frost. 

 9. Foggy: overcast. 10. Showery throughout. 11. Rain: dense clouds and 

 cold : frosty at night. 12. Cloudy and fine : rain. 13. Showery : clear and fine. 

 14. Boisterous. 15. Boisterous, with slight rain. 16. Overcast : fine. 17. Fine. 

 18. Overcast: fine. 19. Overcast and cold : very fine. 20. Slight haze: very 

 fine. 21, 22. Very fine. 23. Sultry. 24—26. Very fine. 27. Showery, 28. 

 Overcast. 29. Very fine. 30. Overcast. — Mean temperature of the month 1° 

 above the average. V" 



Boston. — April 1. Cloudy. 2 — 5. Fine. 6. Fine : ice this morning. 7* 

 Cloudy. 8. Cloudy: rain a.m. 9. Fine. 10. Windy: rain p.m. II. Windy: 

 rain A.M. 12. Cloudy. 13. Cloudy: rain p.m. 14. Windy: rain p.m. 15. 

 Cloudy and stormy: rain early a.m. 16. Cloudy. 17. Fine. 18. Cloudy. 

 19—21. Fine. 22. Cloudy. 23—25. Fine. 26. Rain. 27. Cloudy. 28— 

 30. Fine. .«.►-' 



Sandwick Manse, Orkney. — April 1. Bright: damp. 2. Bright: clear. 3, 

 4. Clear : cloudy. 5. Clear. 6. Fog : clear. 7, 8. Bright : clear. 9. Rain : 

 cloudy. 10, 11. Bright: cloudy. 12, 13. Cloudy: clear. 14. Rain: clear. 

 15. Clear. 16. Cloudy: drizzle. 17. Drizzle: fog. 18. Bright : fog. 19. Clear. 

 20, 21. Fine : clear: fine. 22. Fine. 23. Fine: fog. 24. Cloudy. 25. Bright : 

 cloudy. 26. Rain : damp. 27. Bright : cloudy. 28. Showers. 29. Bright : 

 clear. 30. Cloudy. 



Applegarth Manse, Dumfriesshire. — April I, 2. Fine : dryj^oar frost. 3. Re- 

 markably fine. 4. Very droughty : raw frost. 5. Very dPoughty, but milder. 

 6. Hoar frost. 7. Slight frost.^^Rain and hail. 9. Slight showers. 10. Fre- 

 quent showers. 11. Clear : fair, but cold. 12. Cloudy: drops : rain. 13. Hail 

 and rain. 14. Slight showers. 15. Dry and cold. 16. Fair : fine : slight frost. 

 17. Very fine. 18. Fine. 19— 22. Fin»<^droughty. 23, 24. Fine. 25. A few 

 drops : rain. 26. Heavy rain. 27. Heavy rain and flood. 28. Fair, but un- 

 settled. 29. Shower p.m. 30. Heavy rain p.m. 



V 



