I 



Meteorological Observations, 79 



To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 

 Gentlemen, 

 In the Cambridge Anatomical Museum there are two skeletons of 

 Seals, which possess the characters of the Halichcerus Gryphus, given 

 in Bell's ' British Quadrupeds.' One of them was formerly in the 

 Museum of Dr. Macartney at Dublin, and was probably taken off 

 the eastern coast of Ireland ; the other, of large size, and of ad- 

 vanced age, if we may judge from the state of its teeth, was cap- 

 tured in fishing nets off the Essex coast, a few years ago. 

 I have the honour to be, gentlemen. 



Your obedient servant, 

 Cains College, Cambridge, Feb. 8, 1841. L. E. Paget. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR JAN. 1841. 



Chiswick. — Jan. 1. Hazy: fine with clouds. 2. Rain: clear and fine: hurri- 

 canes at night. 3. Thunder-storm about 7 a.m., accompanied with large and 

 vivid flashes of lightning, rain, hail and sleet, and high wind, which soon after 

 subsided into a perfect calm. 4, Sharp frost : slight fall of snow : clear at night. 



5. Densely overcast : snow : large lunar halo in the evening. 6. Hazy. 7. In- 

 tense frost. 8. Dense fog : severe frost, 9. Intense frost. 10. Overcast : 

 slight haze: rain at night. 11. Overcast. 12. Cloudy: clear. 13. Foggy: 

 rain: fall of snow. 14. Cold haze: rain: sleet and snow. 15. Rain. 16. 

 Thawing rapidly : occasioning inundations, the frozen crust preventing the.water 

 from sinking into the earth. 17. Continued thaw. 18. Rain. 19. Overcast. 

 20. Cloudy and cold : sharp frost at night. 21. Frosty : fine. 22. Frosty : rain 

 at night. 23. Clear. 24. Boisterous : cold and dry. 25. Clear and frosty. 

 26. Overcast and fine. 27. Very fine. 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30. Hazy. 

 31. Foggy: rain. 



Previously to the thaw, in the beginning of the month, the frost had penetrated 

 in some soils to a depth of 12 inches. 



Boston. — Jan. 1. Cloudy. 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy : stormy with lightning and 

 rain early a.m. 4. Cloudy : snow early a.m. : stormy with rain p.m. 5. Stormy. 



6, 7. Fine. 8. Fine : thermometer 17°'0 three o'clock p.m. 9. Fine : thermo- 

 meter 28°*0 three o'clock p.m. 10. Cloudy: large fall of snow early a.m. 11. 

 Cloudy: snow early A.M. 12. Cloudy. 13. Fine: rain p.m. 14,15. Cloudy. 

 16. Cloudy : snow early A.M. : rain P.M. 17. Fine. 18. Cloudy. 19. Cloudy: 

 rain early a.m. 20. Snow : snow p.m. 21. Cloudy : snow early a.m. 22, 23. 

 Fine. 24. Stormy : heavy snow-storm p.m. 25, 26. Fine. 27. Fine : beautiful 

 morning. 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30. Cloudy. 31. Rain: rain early a.m. : 

 snow-storm p.m. N.B. The 8th of this month was the coldest day since Jan. 1, 1820. 



Applegarth Manse, Dumfties-shire. — Jan. 1. Slight showers. 2. Slight show- 

 ers : frost in the morning. 3. Snow-storm. 4. Snow-storm and frost. 5. Snow- 

 storm. 6. Fair: snow lying. 7. Snow-fall: frost very keen. 8. Snow-fall 

 slightly : frost keen. 9. Thaw, with slight snow. 10. Snow and frost again. 

 II. Fair: snow lying: thaw p.m. 12. Fair: but freezing hard. 13. Fair: 

 freezing. 14, 15. Fair. 16. Storm of snow, sleet and rain. 17. Thaw: heavy 

 rain P.M. 18. Frost again : clear. 19. PVost again. 20. Frost again: Aurora 

 borealis. 21. Thaw: drizzling rain. 22. Wet and boisterous. 23. Wet and 

 boisterous: slight snow-fall. 24. Fair : frosty : slight snow-fall. 25. Frost a.m. : 

 drizzle P.M. 26. Thaw and thick fog. 27. Shower in afternoon. 28. Fair and 

 fine: snow melting. 29. Drizzling. 30. Thick fog all day. 31. Clear and 

 cold : moist p.m. 



Sun shone out 25 days. Rain fell 10 days. Snow 8 days. Frost 16 days. 

 Fog 2. 



Wind north 2 days. North-east 5^ days. East 2 days. East-south-east 3^ 

 days. South-east 1^ day. South-west 4 days. West-south-west 1 day. West 

 4 days. West-north-west 2^ days. North-west 3 days. North-north-west 2 days. 



Calm 8 days. Moderate 8 days. Brisk 3 days. Strong breeze 7 days. 

 Boisterous 4 days. Stormy 1 day. 



