Meteorological Observations. 803 



The establishment of tliis family appears to me to acquire greater 

 importance, as some at least of the genera Borya^ yllania, Johnsonia, 

 and Laxmanniay must be referred to it ; these are genera allied to 

 AphyllantheSi which, in the characters of their vegetation, resemble 

 either the Juncece or the CyperacecBy and which have their petaloid 

 flowers accompanied by scale-like persistent bracts, the two superior 

 of which are opposite, almost like the glumes of the GraminecBy and 

 are sometimes bifid or trifid, bidentate or tridentate at the apex. 

 These flowers are also disposed in groups or heads, which, after 

 flowering, present a great resemblance to the heads of Ch(jetospora or 

 Xyris after their petals have fallen. — Comptes Rendus, 27th August 

 1855, p. 344. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR AUG. 1855. 



Chiswick. — August 1. Very fine. 2. Very fine: heavy rain. 3 — 5. Very fine. 



6. Overcast. 7. Very fine. 8. Rain : thunder : heavy rain. 9. Cloudy and fine : 

 clear at night. 10. Foggy, with heavy dew : very fine : slight haze : very fine. 

 11. Slight haze: very fine. 12. Overcast: fine: clear. 13. Very fine. 14. 

 Cloudy and fine. 15,16. Very fine. 17. Slight fog: very fine. 18. Very fine. 



19. Very fine : slight rain at night. 20. Slight rain : cloudy and boisterous. 21. 

 Fine : clear and windy. 22. Very fine. 23. Very fine : much sheet and forked 

 lightning at night. 24 — 26. Very fine. 27. Very fine : cloudy at night. 28, 

 29. Very fine. 30. Very fine: clear at night. 31. Very fine. 



Mean temperature of the month 61''*63 



Mean temperature of Aug. 1854 60*55 



Mean temperature of Aug. for the last twenty-nine years ... 61 '98 

 Average amount of rain in Aug 2*446 inches. 



Boston. — Aug. 1. Fine : rain a.m. 2 — 4. Fine. 5, 6. Cloudy. 7. Cloudy: 

 rain a.m. and p.m., with thunder. 8. Cloudy : rain a.m and p.m. 9. Rain a.m. 

 10. Fine. 11. Cloudy. 12. Cloudy : rain a.m. 13. Fine. 14. Cloudy. 15—18. 

 Fine. 19. Fine : rain a.m. 20. Cloudy : rain a.m. 21, 22. Cloudy. 23. Cloudy : 

 rain a.m. and p.m. 24. Pine. 25. Fine : rain p.m. 26 — 28. Fine. 29. Cloudy. 

 30,31. Fine. 



Sandwick Manse, Orkney. — Aug. 1. Cloudy a.m. : fine, fog p.m. 2. Rain a.m. : 

 fine, cloudy p.m. 3. Clear a.m. : fine, drops, thunder and lightning p.m. 4. Rain 

 A.M. : drizzle, showery p.m. 5. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 6. Clear a.m. and p.m. 



7. Rain a.m. : showers p.m. 8. Rain a.m. : drizzle p.m. 9. Drizzle a.m. : clear, 

 vapour P.M. 10. Hazy a.m. : damp p.m. 11. Cloudy a.m. : showers p.m. 12. 

 Cloudy A.M. : damp p.m. 13. Showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 14. Bright a.m. : 

 cloudy p.m. 15. Drizzle a.m. : cloudy p.m. 16. Cloudy a.m. : rain p.m. 17. 

 Cloudy A.M. and p.m. 18, 19. Cloudy a.m. : cloudy, thunder and lightning p.m. 



20. Showers A.M. : rain p.m. 21. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 22. Showers a.m. 

 and P.M. 23. Showers, bright a.m. : clear p.m. 24. Cloudy a.m. : rain p.m. 

 25. Clear a.m. and p.m. 26, 27. Rain a.m. : cloudy p.m. 28. Clear a.m. : 

 showers p.m. 29. Bright a.m. : clear p.m. 30. Drops a.m. : clear, drops p.m. 

 31. Cloudy A.M. and p.m. 



Mean temperature of Aug. for twenty-eight previous years ... 54°-99 



Mean temperature of this month 56 '10 



Mean temperature of Aug. 1854 55*06 



Average quantity of rain in Aug. for fifteen previous years ... 2*95 inches. 



