Meteorological Observations, 311 



" They were built upon the ground, from which they rose above 

 two feet, and were of vast circumference and great interior capacity ; 

 the branches of trees and other matter of which each nest was com- 

 posed being enough to fill a cart." 



Now I suppose, from the character of Captains Cook and Flinders, 

 we may place implicit confidence in the truth of these accounts. In- 

 deed, Cook was accompanied to Eagle Island by Sir Joseph Banks. 

 Equally certain is it that no known bird but the Dinornis would have 

 built so enormous a nest. I am led therefore almost irresistibly to 

 inquire whether the Dinornis may not be an inhabitant of the coast 

 of New Holland, and still alive ! Even if extinct upon New Zealand, 

 it may have remained longer in the warmer climate of New Holland. 

 It may be that these nests have been accounted for in some other 

 way ; but if so, I have seen no other explanation. 



P.S. Feb. 1844. — Having occasion to give a lecture this winter 

 before the Young Men's Association in Troy, N. Y., I had a drawing 

 made of the Dinornis of the natural size, on the type of the Apteryx 

 and Cassowary, and also of one of the nests described above, and I 

 assure you that the nest was only of a respectable size for a bird 

 sixteen feet high. — Silliman's Journal, July 1 844. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR AUGUST 1844. 



Chiswick. — August 1. Cloudy: boisterous: clear. 2. Clear and very fine. 

 3. Showery : boisterous. 4. Dusky clouds : clear and fine. 5. Cloudy and 

 fine : rain. 6. Boisterous : clear and fine. 7. Clear : heavy shower at noon : 

 clear and fine. 8,9. Fine. 10. Slight haze: fine. 11. Very fine : rain. 12. 

 Heavy rain. 13. Showery. 14. Rain: heavy squall : clear and fine at night. 

 15. Cloudy. 16. Very fine. 17. Densely overcast. 18, 19. Very fine. 20. 

 Overcast: fine. 21 — 25. Cloudy and fine. 26. Cloudy. 27. Cloudy and dry. 

 28. Clear, with hot sun. 29. Cloudless and hot. 30. Fine. 31. Hot and 

 dry. — Mean temperature of the month 2 0, 57 below the average. 



Boston. — Aug. 1. Cloudy: rain early a.m. : rain a.m. 2. Fine. 3. Rain: 

 rain early a.m. : rain with thunder and lightning a.m. : rain p.m. 4. Cloudy. 5. 

 Fine: rain at night. 6. Cloudy. 7. Stormy : rain early a.m.: rain with thunder 

 and lightning a.m. 8. Windy : rain a.m. 9. Windy. 10. Fine. 11. Fine: 

 rain p.m. 12. Rain. 13. Fine. 14. Rain : rain early a.m. : rain a.m. and p.m. 

 15. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 16. Fine : rain p.m. 17. Cloudy. 18 — 21. Fine. 

 22—24. Cloudy. 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy. 27—31. Fine. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — Aug. 1. Cloudy: rain. 2. Bright: clear. 3. 

 Showers: drizzle. 4. Damp: drizzle. 5. Cloudy. 6. Cloudy: rain. 7. Showers: 

 cloudy. 8. Cloudy : showers. 9. Showers. 10 — 13. Bright : clear. 14. Bright: 

 clear: fine. 15. Clear : fine. 16. Bright : cloudy: fine. 17, Showers: rain! 



18. Bright: cloudy. 19. Bright: damp. 20. Showers. 21. Rain : drizzle. 

 22. Rain : damp. 23. Damp. 24. Damp : cloudy. 25. Bright : cloudy. 

 26. Drizzle : drops. 27. Drizzle : showers. 28. Bright : clear. 29. Clear. 

 30. Clear: warm. 31. Clear : cloudy : warm. 



Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — Aug. 1 — 3. Showers. 4. Fair. 5. Fine. 

 6,7. Heavy rain. 8. Rain a.m. : fair p.m. 9. A shower. 10. Fair a.m. : few 

 drops p.m. 11. Fair a.m. : rain p.m. 12. Fair. 13. Showery. 14. Showery: 

 thunder. 15. Fair. 16. Rain p.m. 17. Heavy showers. 18. Fair and clear. 



19. Heavy showers. 20. Fair. 21. Fair : a few drops. 22. Rain. 23. Heavy 

 shower p.m. 24. One shower. 25 — 31. Fair and fine. 



Mean temperature of the month 54°-6 



Mean temperature of Aug. 1843 58 -0 



Mean temperature of spring-water 52 «5 



Mean temperature of ditto Aug. 1843 53 «5 



