AND METEOROLOGY OF THE YEAR EELATIYE THERETO. 3^7 



stations, from which it necessarily resulted that southerly winds 

 fell much below the average and northerly winds predominated 

 six days longer than usually takes place in March. Conse- 

 quently, the mean temperature was nearly 4° below the average, 

 colder even than March 1867, and colder than any March since 

 1855. To the north of th(i Caledonian Canal the deficiency was 

 only from 2° to ?j\ but in the most central districts, particularly 

 in the south, temperature was in several places 5^ below the 

 mean of the month. The nights were relatively much colder 

 than the days. 



Over the whole of the west and a few isolated patches in the 

 east the rainfall was under the avera^^je, in some cases onlv a 

 fourth of the average, and in many only a half fell, and so 

 extensive were these districts that the mean of the whole country 

 was half an inch below the average. On the other hand, the 

 greater prevalence of northerly and easterly winds was accom- 

 panied with an excessive rainfall. At Gordon Castle, Aberdeen, 

 and Pitlochry nearly double the usual amount of rain was 

 collected. 



April. — The mean temperature was about the average, the 

 nights being relatively colder than usual, but the distribution 

 of the temperature over the country was very unequal. Thus 

 over the east and to the north of the Grampians it was above 

 the average, the excess being as much as 2° at some of the more 

 northern and north-western stations; whereas over the whole of 

 the central and south-western districts from Dalnaspidal to the 

 Mull of Galloway, temperature was below the average, being a 

 degree lower than the mean at Dalnaspidal, Rothesay, Piumore, 

 and Dumfries. 



The distribution of the rainfall was intimately related to that 

 of the temperature stated above. Tn the south-west, the rain- 

 fall was nearly in all cases above the average, the excess in no 

 instance, however, reaching to a third above the average. Else- 

 where it was under the average, the greatest deficiency being in 

 })arts of Aberdeenshire and in the north-western and northern 

 districts. At Bressay only a fifth of the average rainfall of 

 A}>ril was collected. 



^Iav. — The temperature was 1°'2 below the average, the 

 deticiency being about equally partitioned between the days 

 ami nights. It was greatest in the south-west and west at 

 Dumfries, Drumlanrig, Auchendrane, Greenock, Ardnamurchan, 

 and the Lewis, the weather being 2'' colder than the mean ; 

 whereas over the whole of the east coast the deticienov amounted 

 either scarcely to or to little more than half a degree. 



The rainfall was about a third of an inch below the averacre. 

 Over the whole of the east slope of the country from Fraser- 

 burgh to the Tweed, the rainfall was under the average, in 



