14 REPORT or THE 



The Lectures delivered in the Hall of the Museum have 

 been more numerous than usual during the past year. Two 

 Lectures, one on Fossils and their teaching, the other on 

 Corals, were given by Professor Morris, of University College, 

 London ; and two by Dr. Cobbold, one on Skeletal forms, the 

 other on the more attractive forms of Animal Life. The Rev. 

 James Raine, jun., gave an interesting Lecture on the Border 

 Counties of England and Scotland; Mr. O'Callaghan, on 

 Autographs, illustrating the subject by the exhibition of his 

 large collection ; Capt. O'Brien on the Currents of the Atmos- 

 phere ; and Mr. North on the Nervous system in man and 

 animals. In the month of December two Lectures were given 

 by the Rev. Thomas Myers, on the Planetary and Astral 

 Systems of the Heavens. An abstract of the papers read at 

 the Monthly Meetings of the Society will be annexed to the 

 Report. 



The Curator of Meteorological instruments reports that the 

 range of the mercurial column for 1858 was l'T4 in., that of the 

 temperature 68°. The mean temperature was 46^° or yq of a 

 degree lower than a mean of twenty years. August and 

 September, the harvest months, were above a mean. The rain 

 of 1858 was 3'T9 in. below a mean of twenty years : 1-75 below 

 a mean of the last ten years : 1'69 below a mean of the last 

 jfive years. From the 12th of February to the 13th of March, 

 both inclusive, the thermometer was at or below freezing point 

 every night, 30 in regular succession. Thunder and lightning 

 occurred three times in April ; three times in May ; four times 

 in June, and once in August, viz. the 12th. A display of 

 Aurora was seen on the evening of the ninth of April. 



The table of the Rainfall of 1857, which was received too 

 late to be inserted in the Report of that year, is here given, 

 along with the corresponding table for 1858. 



