82 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



for cultivation of soil. Owing to the dryness of the 

 previous month, the ground was in capital condition 

 for receiving the seed, and this is always accepted 

 by the farmer and the gardener as a good omen 

 for the coming season. During the month there 

 were only 2' of frost registered in all. A moderate 

 amount of rain fell — 1'92 inches on 12 days— ^so that 

 a good half of tlie month was dry, favourable 

 weather. The average temperature was high : 45° ; 

 and the i)revailing winds were from the west b}^ 

 south. On the 3rd of the month the following 

 plants wei-e in bloom at the different parks — 

 hyacinths, tulips, violas, narcissus, rhododendrons, 

 Ribes sanguineji ; on the lOtli, Pulmonaria officinalis ; 

 on the 12tli, the Ontario and Balsam poplars, haw- 

 thorn, and elder were in leaf. 



May was also another favourable month, the 

 w^eather being much the same as in April, with an 

 increase in the temjierature. Vegetation made very 

 rapid j)rogress, and the small amount of frost — 5* 

 during the first week — did not do any harm in the 

 w^ay of checking. The wdnds ^vere from the south- 

 west, so that there Avere no dry, cutting east winds 

 to blight vegetation. The double flo^vering cherry and 

 the bird cherry were in flower on the 8th ; the oak 

 appeared in leaf on the 15th ; and the ash on the 

 26th. The total rainfall for the month was 2-3 

 inches, and the dry days numbered 24. The average 

 temperature was 49°. The cuckoo was heard at the 

 Alexandra Park on the 20th — a rare occurrence. 



The weather during the succeeding month of June 

 was again seasonable. As was to be expected, there 

 was a very considerable rise in the temperature — 

 the average being 55\ The rainfall was moderate— 

 2*53 inches — and there Avere 18 days during the 

 month on which no rain fell at all. There was a 

 very heavy hail shower on the 13th, but fortunately 

 it did not do very material damage, although the 

 thermometer receded very rapidl}^ to 35°. The 

 laburnum, lilac, service tree, and liawthorn were in 



