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THE METEOROLOGY OF THE YEAR 1877. 



The whole year 1877 had about the mean temperature of 42 years, viz., 

 55.3 (mean 55.4), notwithstanding that we had in nine months a lower 

 temperature than usual. January, April and May were between 2 and 3 

 degrees and March nearly 6 degrees below the average. But the three 

 warm months of February, October and December brought the average of 

 the year up to the normal point — a striking instance, by the way, how little 

 real information mere averages give us about meteorological conditions. 



The number of days on which it rained, 114, is scarcely more than the 

 average, and the quantity of rain, 37.20 inches, is less; the largest quan- 

 tity fell in June, and next in March and October — the least, as usual, in 

 January and February; in all the other nine months the quantity of rain 

 varied between 2 and 4 inches. 



Vegetation was retarded nearly two weeks by the cold weather of spring, 

 but thus it happily, to a great extent, escaped injury by the frost, which 

 visited a part of the State in the night of April 29th-3oth. With the ex- 

 caption of this slight injury, the season was an unusually favorable one for 

 the agriculturist, and as favorable also for the health of the people; 

 owing, no doubt, to the moderate degree of summer heat and the pretty 

 uniform distribution of rain. 



Mr. H. T. Woodman of Dubuque was introduced to the Acade- 

 my, and exhibited the following specimens: i. Halysites from 

 the Niagara group of Jones Co., Iowa, with rays well preserved ; 

 2. a specimen of coral, which on the one side is a rnyedyavosiies, 

 and on the other side columnaria., seeming to show that these 

 two corals are identical. 



Prof. W. B. Potter exhibited a specimen of spiegeleisen from 

 the Vulcan Iron Works, showing a large coating of graphitic 

 carbon. Nearly all the fragments of spiegeleisen had the same 

 coating. Analysis showed, as was suspected, the presence of a 

 large quantity of silicon, 1.181 per cent, having been found. Prof. 

 Potter remarked that he had never before discovered more than 

 one-half per cent, of silicon in spiegeleisen. The specimens ana- 

 lyzed contained — of carbon, 4.7 per cent. ; of graphitic carbon, 

 0.549 P^^" cent. 



Mr. F. F. Hilder presented to the Academy, in behalf of Mr. 

 H. T. Woodman, a specimen of flexible coral ( Gorgonia anceps). 

 A vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Woodman. 



