98 Weather and Other Natural History Notes. 



Weather and Other Natural History Notes. By Mr J. 

 Rutherford. 



In January it was stated that rain fell on 16 days, and snow 

 on 2 days ; the lowest temperature in the shade being 14 degrees 

 on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th, and the maximum 51 degrees on three 

 different occasions. The wind was recorded from every point 

 of the compass. 3.22 ins. of rain fell in February, and on the 

 28th there were 6 ins. of snow on the ground. The barometer 

 ranged from 30.7 to 29.1. In March the rainfall was 1.66 ins. 

 above the mean of the last 15 years. There was a good deal of 

 cold E. and N.E. wind in April. Swallows and sand-martins 

 appeared on the 30th, as compared with the 26th in 1907. The 

 primrose and pear were also some days later in bloming than in 

 1907, while the cuckoo was heard a week earlier, and the 

 sowing of oats began five days later. May had 23 days rain. 

 The mean temperature, however, was high, and there was a fair 

 amount of sunshine, the last week being exceedingly warm for 

 May. In June the highest temperature was 83 degrees, and 

 the lowest 40 degrees. On most of the days it was almost 

 impossible to tell its direction, and altogether it was an ideal 

 month. On 14th July there was a hea\y thunderstorm, when 

 over half an inch of rain fell within an hour. The thermometer 

 on the 2nd registered fully 90 degrees in the shade, and fine 

 warm weather continued nearly the whole of the month. 

 During the nights of 30th June and the 1st and 2nd July light 

 continued during the night to such an extent that the smallest 

 print could be read. The first three weeks in August were 

 nice and warm, and the last ten days were wet and showery. 

 There was thunder on the 27th and 29th. On one or two 

 nights in August and several in September the temperature on 

 the grass was higher than in the screen, four feet above the 

 ground, which in Mr Rutherford's expeience was rather unusual. 

 Close, warm, muggy weather with little sunshine continued 

 from the 22nd of August till the end of September, which proved 

 disastrous for the harvest. When there was no rain there was 

 no drying. Only about half the average amount of rain fell 

 in October, and the temperature was perhaps the warmest for 

 that month on record. Rain in November was also much below 



