Meteorological Observations. 351 



resulting from the mixture of blue and red, whence is obtained a 

 series of shades or colours, called the cyanic series. 



10. The yellow colouring matter being capable of reddening by 

 oxygenation, and also by acids (as in the yellowish juice of some cells 

 of the leaves of red cabbage), yellow flowers may pass to red, and 

 also present all the shades intervening between these colours j these 

 colours constitute the xanthic series. 



1 1 . The red colour of the two series is far from being the same, 

 not only as to its origin, but also as to the variations of tint which it 

 may undergo. That of the xanthic series is less common in leaves 

 than in flowers. The contrary is the rule for the red of the cyanic 

 series. 



12. The two kinds of red, like the two fundamental colours, are 

 sometimes united in the same flower, which may then pi;esent every 

 imaginable variety of colour. ^— Bulletins de V Acad. Royale de 

 Bruxelles, xx. pt. 1. p. 232. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR FEB. 1854. 



Chiswick. — February 1. Cloudy : raiu. 2. Overcast : clear, with bright sun : 

 frosty. 3. Frosty : dense fog. 4. Frosty : very fine : overcast. 5. Clear : cloudy. 

 6. Fine. 7. Cloudy : clear at night. 8. Clear : cold and dry : overcast. 9. 

 Cloudy : rain. 10. Clear and frosty : cloudy and cold : clear. II. Cloudy and 

 fine : hazy. 12. Foggy : clear and fine. 13. Frosty : cold and dry : clear, with 

 sharp frost at night. 14. Sharp frost: fine. 15. Overcast. 16. Cloudy : clear : 

 overcast. 17. Cloudy. 18. Drifting snow : clear and cold : boisterous at night. 

 19. Clear and cold. 20. Overcast. 21. Clear and fine. 22. Fine: cloudy. 23. 

 Clear. 24. Cioudy. 25, 26. Very clear. 27. Uniformly overcast : clear : over- 

 cast. 28. Fine. 



Mean temperature of the month 37°*67 



Mean temperature of February 1853 32 "53 



Mean temperature of Feb. for the last twenty-eight years ... 39 '13 

 Average amount of rain in Feb 1*57 inch. 



Boston.— Yth. 1. Cloudy. 2—4. Fine. 5—9. Cloudy. 10. Fine : snow a.m. 

 11. Cloudy. 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy. 14. Fine. 15, 16. Cloudy. 17. Cloudy: 

 rain p.m. 18. Cloudy : stormy. 19. Fine. 20. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 

 21. Fine. 22. Fine : rain p.m. 23—26. Fine. 27,28. Cloudy. 



Sandwick Manse, Orkney. — Feb. 1. Showers a.m. : clear p.m. 2. Showers a.m. 

 and p.m. 3. Cloudy a.m. : cloudy, aurora p.m. 4. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 5* 

 Sleet-showers a.m. : showers p.m. 6. Showers a.m. and p.m. 7. Sleet-showers 

 A.M. : hail -showers p.m. 8. Hail-showers a.m. and p.m. 9. Snow-showers a.m. : 

 clear p.m. 10. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 11. Drizzle a.m. : cloudy p.m. 12. Cloudy 

 A.M. and P.M. 13, 14. Drizzle a.m. and p.m. 15. Hail-showers a.m. and p.m. 

 16. Drizzle A.M. and P.M. 17. Snow-showers a.m. and p.m. 18. Snow-showers 

 A.M. : hail-showers p.m. 19. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 20. Showers a.m. : clear p.m. 

 21. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 22. Drizzle a.m. : showers p.m. 23. Snow-showers 

 A m. : hail-showers p.m. 24. Showers a.m. : showers, aurora p.m. 25. Showers 

 a.m.: aurora p.m. 26. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 27. Rain a.m. and p.m. 28. Sleet- 

 showers A.M. : showers p.m. 



Mean temperature of Feb. for twenty-seven previous years ... 38°'20 



Mean temperature of this month 39 '20 



Mean temperature of Feb. 1853 33-74 



Average quantity of rain in Feb. for thirteen previous years... 3-33 inches. 



