Springs of 1820 and 1829 compared, %S, 



Art. XIV. Some Remarks on the Spring of 18S0, as compared 

 with that of 1829, with a Calendar showing the Difference of the 

 Two Seasons. By the Rev. W. T. Bree, M.A. 



The extraordinarily fine and warm weather which occurred 

 last spring was accompanied, as might be expected, with some 

 corresponding unusually early appearances in the calendar of 

 nature : and as the previous spring (viz. that of 1829) was as 

 remarkable for being a cold and late one, it strikes me that it 

 may not be uninteresting, in a few instances, to contrast the 

 two, by presenting in parallel columns the dates of certain 

 natural occurrences in each, with a view to show the difference 

 of the two seasons, and the influence it had on various sub- 

 jects of the animal and vegetable world. The remarkably 

 fine weather alluded to in 1830 occurred at the end of March ; 

 I have not therefore thought it necessary, for the purpose I 

 have in view, to commence the contrasting calendar earlier 

 than towards the middle of that month, nor to extend it 

 beyond the end of May. I have to regret that my calendar 

 for 1829 is rather scanty; where no corresponding date, 

 therefore, is found in the column for that year, the particular 

 occurrence was not noted. The warm weather changed on 

 the last day of March, with cold rain in the afternoon. April 

 ] St was cold, with storms of rain and snow towards the middle 

 of the day. During April 2d and 3d there was an exceed- 

 ingly heavy fall of snow, which was succe^d^d by frosts so 

 severe as entirely to destroy, in many situations, the buds of 

 the walnut, though they had scarcely begun to open, and were 

 still almost within their close winter ccweringuh It is obvious 

 that this sudden alteration \)f the weathi^r must, have given a 

 great check to vegetation, an^ *to{.the appea^ranoe of. insects 

 and summer birds: the redstart,' heaid March) 31 sj^> did not 

 appear ag^injior resume its |>*'ittea-ing note till April- ,7th ; and 

 the blackdap,' heard (March f^OtJi, not till}Api?il Bth ; Voutia 

 rapae (small garden white butt^flyt) ^ajid PalyoinniatudiA-i'giolus 

 (azure Mud butterfly), .seen 6i\ the wing March 28th and 29th, 

 were not observed again, the former till ApriL 9th ^ and the 

 latter not till the 18th of the month. The effects of the severe 

 frosty nights on trees seemed to differ according to circum- 

 stances, and to be most destructive in the lower situations : 

 for example, a sycamore tree below the bottom of my garden, 

 which was in leaf, was entirely cut off, so that it never reco- 

 vered its beauty and verdure through the summer ; while 

 another of the same species on the premises, not more than a 

 hundred yards distant, a much loftier tree, and in a higher 

 and more exposed situation, was scarcely injured at all. 



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