204 Calendar of Nature, 



noticed, and, if possible, avoided in future, Mr. Tatem will excuse me for 

 submitting the method by which I keep my register, and my reasons for 

 adopting this mode. The mean temperature at 10, morning and evening, 

 has been found to coincide nearly with the mean of the daily extreme* 

 (see Brewster's Encyclopcedia, art. Meteorology, p. 159.): from 1822, I 

 have kept a register on this principle, and I have always found the mean 

 annual result to be within a small fraction of a degree with registers kept 

 with the utmost correctness at Kinfauns Castle. Last season, the annual 

 mean at Kinfauns Castle was nearly |» above that at Annat Gardens ; but 

 this may be accounted for, partly from Kinfauns being 32 ft. lower, and 

 every way better sheltered than this place, though in the same parallel of 

 latitude. The annual mean, by Mayer's formula, of Wycombe should, be 

 about 52°, and his formula I have found, in many instances, to approxi- 

 mate very near to the true mean. If Mr. Tatem takes the mean of any 

 one hour, without referring to the mean of the daily extremes, it may ac- 

 count for the difference ; at any rate, the propriety of avoiding such differ- 

 ence by your meteorological contributors, and of their acting on the same 

 principles in furnishing their observations, will apologise to Mr. Tatem for 

 the liberty I have thus taken, and may induce him to favour us with his 

 remarks on the subject. The calendar which that gentleman has furnished 

 is such as to render it impossible to doubt the accuracy of his observations ; 

 the difference must be in the modes in which we take them. After this 

 long digression, I must proceed to explain the diagram : h shows the mean 

 height of the mercury in the barometer, by inches, as expressed on the 

 right-hand side ; t shows the mean temperature, as marked on the index at 

 the left-hand side. The month is divided into three parts, and the lines 

 cross at the mean height of each. The dotted line across each month 

 shows the mean temperature for that month ; and the dotted line across 

 the table shows the mean temperature for the three months. The marks 



: show the exact height of rain in the rain-gauge, for the division of 



time to which it is opposite ; the whole will be given in figures at the end 

 of the season. The range of the index will suit the whole season, h shows 

 the dew-point, of which the observations commenced at the beginning of 

 what is called the vegetating season, the 20th of March. 



The mean temperature this season was, in January 5-^°, in February 

 0^°, and in March 4^%° lower than in the corresponding months of last 

 year. The fall of rain is for the same period 5| in., or 2^ in. less than last 

 season. The coldest day was on the 2 1st of January; mean temperature of 

 that, 24i° ; extreme cold, 20° ; wind, N. The warmest day for the three 

 past months was on the 1 5th of February ; mean temperature of that day, 

 48|°; extreme heat, 5S^\ wind, N.W. The mercury in the barometer was 

 highest on the 51st of January; height, 29^ in.; wind, N.E. : lowest on 

 the 17th of March; height, 28^ in. The only loud gales of wind occurred 

 on the 14th and 20th of March. 



Calendar of Nature for the Carse of Goiurie, Perthshire, 

 January. — In this month, which was announced by a storm of thunder 

 on the last hours of the old year, there was not a single fresh day. Snow 

 fell on 10 days; 19 days were cloudy; and 12 clear sunshine. The wind 

 blew from the north and west, 7 days ; from the west, 3 days ; and from the 

 east and south-east, 21 days. The vocal songsters of the grove ceased their 

 notes, except, occasionally, the robin redbreast, when sheltered near the 

 haunts of men. The high temperature in December had brought the win- 

 ter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) above ground, but its petals did not open till 

 the last day of January. 



February. — The temperature of this month being 40°, we have little to 

 record of the progress of vegetation. The wind blew from the north and 

 north-west, 18 days; from the east and south-east, lO days; 13 days were 



