322 THE CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1887, 



did the temperature differ much from the mean, being however 

 uniformly but slightly lower in the northern and southern 

 districts, and generally higher in intermediate districts, from the 

 Grampians to the Lammermoor and Leadhill ranges. 



The rainfall was 1"39 inch, or 0"91 inch under the average. 

 Over a broad belt, stretching from Berwickshire in a west- 

 south-west direction to Ayrshire, it was slightly above the 

 average, but everywhere else below it, the deficiency from the 

 mean being at least 80 per cent, at Stronvar, Ochtertyre, Inver- 

 ness, and Lairg. 



June. — The mean temperature was 57°"6, or 2°"8 above the 

 average, the days being 4°"6 and the nights l°'l warmer 

 than usual. Since the Scottish Meteorological Society was 

 founded this is the warmest June recorded, except the June of 

 1858, whose mean temperature was 58°"9. In June 1887, cloud 

 was considerably under the mean, and sunshine 19 hours above 

 it, and along with this dryness of the air the range of tempera- 

 ture for the month was unprecedented. In Orkney and Shetland 

 temperature was under the average, the defect at North Unst 

 being l°'l ; but everj^where else it was above the mean, the 

 greatest excess, fully 4°"0, being over the district lying between 

 the Caledonian Canal and Buchanness. An equally large excess 

 of temperature appears to have been continued through Ireland 

 from Donaghadee to Valencia ; but, on the other hand, in 

 London, Oxford, and Cambridge, the temperature was but little 

 above the means of these towns. 



The rainfall was 0'96 inch, or 1"62 inch under the average. 

 It was everywhere less than the mean. In some places in the 

 West Highlands, and in the western and northern outlying 

 islands, the average was closely approximated to ; but over 

 extensive districts in the east and south, the deficiency exceeded 

 80 per cent. 



From the middle to the end of the month there occurred a 

 fortnight of perhaps as choice summer weather as any ex- 

 perienced during the present century in Scotland, characterised 

 by strong sunshine and heat during the day and clear cool 

 nights. On the 18th, a remarkable thunderstorm broke over 

 the greater part of the central and northern districts, which in 

 the great majority of cases was unattended by rain. At 

 Lednethie, however, during the forty minutes ending 1*30 P.M. 

 there fell 2'24 inches, the appearance of the rain when falling 

 being like bright small streams falling straight down, resem- 

 bling in this respect the heaviest rains of troj)ical regions. 



Jul v. — The mean temperature was 59°"3, or 1°"9 above the 

 average, the days being 2°'6 and the nights l°'l above it ; the 

 high temperature being thus, as in the preceding month, occa- 

 sioned chiefly by the strong sunshine that prevailed. In Shet- 



