SECRETAEY'S REPORT. 217 



Casual and Periodical Phenomena, etc. 



December, 1859. Lunar halo at 7 P. M. of 3d ; shooting- star in 

 W. at 11 P. M. of 21st; amount of snow fall during the month, 

 42 inches ; good sleighing during the month. 



January, 1860. Parhelia at 3| P. M. of 3d ; flashes of lightning 

 at 9 P. M. of 22d ; amount of snow fall for mouth, 7^ inches. 



February. Penobscot bay froze over night of 1st ; lunar halo 

 from 8 P. M. until midnight, ring large and bright ; 4th, ditto at 



9 P. M. ; white frost night of 8th ; aurora, very bright night of 

 21st ; solar halo, A. M. of 28th ; depth of snow fall for month, 



10 inches. 



Ilarch. Heavy white frost 15th, 16th and 17th ; sleighing ended 

 16th ; first robin seen, 19th ; depth of snow fall for month, 12 

 inches. 



April. First note of frogs, 12th ; shooting stars at 8 P. M. of 

 18th ; first barn swallows, 20th ; solar halo at 2 P. M. of 20th ; 

 parhelia A. M. of 20th. 



3Iay. Whirlwind, 6th; distant thunder, 13th; apple trees in 

 blossom, 24th ; solar halo at noon of 27th. 



June. Thunder showers in W., P. M. of 14th ; heavy gale, 30th. 



July. Thunder shower in W. at 7 P. M. of 13th; whirlwind, 

 P. M. of 16th ; rainbow, full arch, at 6 P. M., 21st ; slight frost 

 in sheltered situations morning of 28th. 



August. 3d, drouth, crops and pasturage suffering for rain ; 6th 

 87 deg. at 3 P. M. ; 9th, thunder shower at 6 A. M. This was the 

 first thunder shower since August 31st, 1859, a period of one year 

 lacking twenty days. 21st, thunder showers at 6 and 10 P.M., 

 heavy ; 28th, thunder showers in night ; 31st, potatoes killed by 

 rust. 



September. Light frost in low ground night of 2d ; slight fall of 

 hail at 1 P. M. of 9th ; white frost on 9th ; killing frost night of 

 23d and 27th ; ground froze night of 28th ; frost, 30th ; water con- 

 gealed night of 28th, first time for season. 



October. Solar halo at 9 A. M. of 1st ; snow squall at 9| P. M. 

 of 6th ; slight fall of hail eve of 14th ; heavy shock of earthquake 

 at 6 A. M. of 17th ; very heavy thunder shower at 4 and 5 P. M, 

 of 26th ; ground froze night of 27th. 



