Meteorological Observations. 239 



to dredge on the same spot, determined not to be cheated out of a 

 specimen in such a way a second time, I brought with me a bucket 

 of cold fresh water, to which article Starfishes have a great antipathy. 

 As I expected, a Luidia came up in the dredge, a most gorgeous 

 specimen. As it does not generally break up before it is raised 

 above the surface of the sea, cautiously and anxiously I sunk my 

 bucket to a level with the dredge's mouth, and proceeded in the 

 most gentle manner to introduce Luidia to the purer element. 

 Whether the cold air was too much for him, or the sight of the 

 bucket too terrific, I know not, but in a moment he proceeded to 

 dissolve his corporation, and at every mesh of the dredge his frag- 

 ments were seen escaping. In despair I grasped at the largest, and 

 brought up the extremity of an arm with its terminating eye, the 

 spinous eyelid of which opened and closed with something exceed- 

 ingly like a wink of derision. Young specimens are by no means 

 so fragile as those full-grown ; and the five- armed variety seems less 

 brittle than that with seven arms. Like other Starfishes, it has the 

 power of reproducing its arms." — From Mr. Forbes's interesting and 

 beautiful work on the ' British Starfishes,' p. 138. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MARCH 1841. 



Chiswick. — March 1. Cloudy. 2. Frosty : rain. 3. Fine: cloudy. 4. Clear 

 and fine : rain. 5. Overcast : slight rain. 6. Clear and very fine. 7, 8. Very 

 fine. 9—12. Foggy in the morning : very fine throughout the day : evening 

 clear. 13. Slight haze: foggy. 14. Foggy: very fine : dense fog at night. 

 15, 16. Foggy: very fine. 17. Cloudy and showery. 18. Cloudy. 19. Over- 

 cast: showery. 20. Fine: stormy with rain. 21. Very fine : slight rain at 

 night. 22. Rain : fin«. 23. Fine. 24 — 26. Very fine. 27. Showery : clear. 

 28 — 30. Cloudy and fine. 31. Clear : fine but windy : rain at night. 



Boston. — March 1. Cloudy: rain p.m. 2. PMne : rain r.M. 3,4. Fine. 5. 

 Fine : rain A.M. and P.M. 6. Fine. 7. Fine : beautiful morning. 8. Foggy. 9 — 13. 

 Fine. 14. Cloudy. 15. Fine : three o'clock p.m. thermometer 65°. 16. Fine: 

 two o'clock*?. M. thermometer 65°. 17. Cloudy. 18 — 21. Windy, 22. Rain: 

 23. Windy. 24, 25. Fine. 26. Fine: rain p.m. 27. Cloudy. 28. Fine. 

 29. Cloudy: rain early a.m. : rain p.m. 30. Fine: rain p.m. 31. Fine. 



N.B. This is the warmest month of March since March 1830. 



Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — March 1. Cold and clear: snow on hills 



melting. 2. Rain all day. 3. Slight frost. 4. Frost harder : snow. 5. Heavy 



rain: snow gone. 6. Fine a.m. : rain p.m. 7. Fine throughout. • 8. Fine 



spring day : rain a.m. 9. Fine spring day : fair. . 10. Growing day: fog p.m. 



11. Beautiful day. 12. Fine a.m. : raw fog p.m. 13, 14. Fine throughout. 



15. Fog A.M. : cleared up. 16. Fine throughout. 17, 18. Fine a.m. : rain p.m. 



19. Rain and hail. 20. Heavy showers. 21,22. Rain p.m. 23. Cloudy and 



threatening. 24, 25. Showery and foggy. 26. Showers a.m. : cleared and fine. 



27. Showers a.m. 28, 29. Showers p.m. 30. Fair a.m. : rain and wind p.m. 



31. Boisterous and wet. 



Sun shone out 23 days. Rain fell 1 8 days. Frost 2 days. Snow 1 day. Fog 



8 days. 



Wind East 1 day. South-east 4 days. South -south-east 1 day. South 4 days. 



South-south-west 1 day. South-west 13 days. West-south-west 2 days. West 



3 days. North-north-west 1 day. 



Variable 1 day. Calm 1 1 days. Moderate 8 days. Brisk 5 days. Strong 



breeze 5 days. Boisterous 2 days. 



Mean temperature of the month 44°*07 



Mean temperature of March 1 840 39 '35 



Mean temperature of spring-water 45*60 



Mean temperatureof spring- water, March 1840 42 -60 



