15 



The wind-force this month, 57*491bs., is so nearly the average of February, 

 that it only differed by — '38. The strongest winds had a pressure of 5'211bs. 

 to the square foot, and occurred three times. The general character of serial 

 movement was : — moderate winds from the northerly quarters by night, and 

 gentle breezes from the ocean quarters by day. Of the 29 observations at 7 a.m. 

 2'i were noted as N.jN.W. and N.E. ; at 1 p.m., 22 were registered as E., S.E., 

 S,, y.W,, and W. : and at sunset 26 out of the 29 were from the same points 

 of the compass. On the hottest day of the month, the 18th, the wind was 

 from the N.W., but it was calm both at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. This was the 

 nearest approach to a hot wind during the month, ^rial movement was, 

 therefore, ^jropitious to health. The calms were 17, which is shghtly above the 

 avei-age. 



Temperature mean was only 60"37 degrees, vvhieh is — 2'i6 degrees colder 

 than the 20 years' average, and about three degrees less than February last 

 year. This h.is been the coldest February since that of 1 S54. Altogether there 

 have only been six colder Februaries in the last 23 years. The mean deduced 

 from the self -registering maxima and minima thermometers is 61 •17". The 

 highest shade tempe-ature of the month was only 88° on the 18th. The 

 lowest was 44° on the 11th. The range, 44°, therefore, occurred within eight 

 davs. The minimum temperature was as low in 1863, but the maximum was 

 8° higher. 



The daily i-ange of temperature had a mean of only 18 '20°, which is, — 219°, 

 below the 20 years' average. Only 1848, 18-53, 1861, had a smaller daily range. 

 The greatest range on any day v^'as only 27° on the 16th ; the lowest was seven 

 on the 13th. Only live years out of the last 23 had so small a maximum. 

 Shade temperature, therefore, in all its aspects was very propitious to health. 



By the solar thermometer the mean temperature of the month was, 108 •13'', 

 ■which is -fl3 above that of the previous 8 years, but + 5'22° higber than 

 February last year. The maxirnum by this thermometer was 129° on the 18th. 

 Only 1856 and 1857 had a higher maximum out of the previous eight years. 

 The minimum was 67° on the 8th, but excepting this wet day and the 18th, 

 the sun's rays were very uniformly distributed throughout the days of the 

 month, ranging from 94° to 121, but, only three times altogether, below 100. 

 So much sunshine is favorable to health, provided due care is taken, but the 

 reverse being unfortunately the rule, its dire effects are evident in the 

 disproportionately high rate of mortality, from " diseases of the brain and 

 nervous system" as will be seen hereafter. 



Terrestrial-radiation mean, 4910°, is — '57 of a deg. below the average of 

 the previous 8 years, and — 3° below 1863. The maximum was 59° on the 18th, 

 the minimum 41 on the 24th, the latter being 2° lower than the minimum 

 of 1863. 



The rain-fall was 1'43 inches, which differs only from the 20 years' average 

 by — '04 of an inch. From sunset of the 7th to that of the 8th, 110 inches fell, 

 with a most desirable cleansing effect on the streets and gutters. On the 

 19th, the useful fall of '20 of an inch, was precipitated. The nvm:iber of 

 days on which rain was registered, is 6, but it would be 7, were the records 

 made from 12 p.m. to 12 p.m. The former is, — 212 days below the average of 

 the previous 9 years. February 1863 had nearly an inch more rain. 



Snoio never appeared on Mount Wellington during this month, but in 

 February 1863, it was seen on the 27th and 28th. 



Spontaneous Evaporation was 3 "03 inches, or nearly double the rain-fall. 



Ekistic-force of Vapor mean, was, 363, being 10 below the 20 years' average. 



Huriiidity had a mean of 69, which is — 1^ below the 20 years' standard. 



Cloud mean was, 4 '92, which is — 77 less than the 20 years' average, 1844, had 

 4-50 ; 1852, 4-67 ; 18.58, 4-30; all the other 20 years bad a much higher oloud 

 mean than the present February, 



Ozone had a mean of 7*04 which is + '16 above the 6 years' mean, though it 

 is— '83 below what 1863 had, doubtless owing to the greater wind-force and 

 rain -fall of that month. The range of the present month was maximum 9, 

 minimum 5 "5. 



Electricity was palpable at every one of the 58 observations during the 

 month. The positive indications were 16, with the maximum tension of 7'0. 

 Negative was recorded 42 times with maximum tension of 7 '5. No lightning 

 was observed, or thunder heard, during the month. 



The mortuary record this month bears a most favorable comparison with all 

 the seven years' Februaries that preceded it. The deaths, 47, are 15 and 

 one-7th less than the average of the whole. 1861 was numerically less — 42 — ; 

 but the follo\ving table, exhibiting the proportion of deaths in the different 

 groups of a^es in the present year, contrasted with the minimum and maximum 

 years of mortality, and also that of February 1863, will show that the present 



