Meteorological Observations. 239 



in the course of a season by him about the Isle of Man " had either 

 hermit-crab or horny disk." (Annals, vol. v. p. 183.) It would thus 

 appear, that on the British coasts this strange companionship is not 

 invariably constant. By Duges the two species have been found as- 

 sociated on the coast of France. 



Dr. Coldstream enters pretty fully into the subject of the " horny 

 expansion," and after speculating upon its formation, thinks that it 

 is probably " produced by the Actinia." Opposed to this view how- 

 ever is the fact, that shells possessing the horny expansion are fre- 

 quently dredged in localities where the Actinia was never met with 

 — and where the P. Prideauxii never occurred. I have often found 

 them tenanted instead by Pagurus Bernhardus. 



On examining such shells with horny expansions as are preserved 

 in my cabinet, I find the expansions to consist simply of a develop- 

 ment, or continuation of the Alcyonium echinatum (and which it oc- 

 curred to Dr. Coldstream might be the case) beyond the shell itself 

 after this is covered, or nearly so, by the zoophyte. May not this 

 Alcyonium be selected by the Actinia as a base upon which to fix 

 itself, on account of its papillary eminences thereby enabling it — the 

 parasite — to retain a firmer hold or " seat" ? — Wm. Thompson. 



Belfast, Feb. 10, 1843. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR JAN. 1843. 



Chiswick. — January 1. Clear and fine. 2, 3. Frosty : fine. 4. Rain : clear. 



5. Clear : rain and sleet. 6. Frosty : overcast. 7, 8. Cloudy. 9. Clear and 

 frosty. 10. Stormy and wet : very boisterous. 11. Clear and frosty : very fine. 

 12. Hazy: clear: hurricane at night. 13. Stormy and wet : very boisterous : 

 barometer at noon exceedingly low. 14. Clear and windy : densely overcast : 

 snow at night. 15. Cloudy : clear and frosty. 16. Cold and dry : fine. 17. Over- 

 cast. 18. Hazy : dense fog. 19. Dense fog. 20 — 22. Hazy. 23. Very fine: 

 overcast : stormy, with rain at night. 24. Overcast. 25. Very fine. 26, 27. 

 Cloudy. 28. Cloudy : clear and fine. 29. Overcast. 30. Very fine. 31. Uni- 

 formly overcast: stormy, with rain at night. — Mean temperature of the month 

 3° above the average. The barometer on the 13th was lower than it has been 

 observed in the neighbourhood of London since 1821. 



Boston. — Jan. I — 3. Fine. 4. Rain. 5. Cloudy: rain and snow early a.m. 



6. Fine. 7. Cloudy. 8. Cloudy : rain early a.m. 9. Fine. 10. Windy : rain 

 early a.m. : stormy p.m., with snow. 11. Windy. 12. Cloudy : rain p.m. 13. 

 Stormy: rain early a.m. (barometer 2 p.m. 27°*80) : rain p.m.: stormy night. 

 14. Stormy : snow p.m. 15 — 18. Cloudy. 19. Foggy. 20—23. Cloudy. 24. 

 Cloudy : rain early a.m. 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 27. Cloudy. 

 28. Windy. 29. Cloudy. SO. Cloudy : stormy p.m. 31. Fine. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — Jan. 1. Hail-showers. 2. Snow. 3. Cloudy. 

 4. Showers: large hail — broke windows. 5. Hail-showers. 6. Showers. 7. Hail- 

 showers— broke windows : thunder and lightning. 8. Snow-showers and hail. 



9. Snow-showers: rain. 10. Snow-showers. 11. Snowing at noon : clear at 

 night. 12. Clear: frost and snow. 13. Snow: thaw-showers. 14. Frost: thaw- 

 showers. 15. Showers. 16. Showers: cloudy. 17. Drizzle. 18. Cloudy: 

 drizzle. 19. Showers : clear. 20—22. Clear. 23. Clear : drops. 24. Cloudy. 

 25. Cloudy : drizzle. 26. Clear : rain. 27. Rain : showers. 28. Drizzle : 

 showers. 29—31. Showers. 



Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — Jan. 1. Frost a.m.: shower: frost p.m. 

 2. Frost a.m. : frost p.m. 3. Showers. 4. Snow and rain. 5. Frost : high wind. 

 6. Drizzling rain. 7. Rain and wind. 8. Snow : frost. 9. Snow : rain : wind. 



10. Snow, frost. 11. Frost : lunar halo. 12. Hard frost. 13—15. Frost: 

 drifting snow. 16. Thaw a.m.: frost p.m. 17, 18. Thaw: rain. 19. Thick 

 fog and thaw. 20. Fair, but cloudy. 21. Fair a.m. : drizzly p.m. 22. Rain 

 early a.m. : cleared. 23. Rain. 24. Fair, but misty. 25. Rain p.m. 26. Wet 

 a.m. 27. Wet p.m. 28. Storm of wind and rain. 29. Wet and stormy. 30. 

 Heavy showers. 31. Rain. 



