Meteorological Observations. 505 



Putlam, who, in allusiou to a note of mine on this species, asks me 

 jocosely in a letter of so late a date as December 19, 'What black 

 swift have you invented ? ' 



" From these circumstances I conclude C. nidifica to be a strictly 

 hill species; the natives call it ' Wahselaena.' There are probably 

 many other breeding places ; the aspect of the countrj' through which 

 I passed is favourable to this supposition, and I saw many flocks 

 flymg round the summits of the hills. Other species may be found 

 about the cliffs at Trincomalee ; a Fucifaga (?) for instance, being 

 probably an exclusively coast species : its nests are far more valuable 

 than those of the species before us, and are worthy the attention of 

 any gentleman residing on the eastern part of the island. I much 

 regret I have never yet had it in my power to visit that locaUty." 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR APRIL 1851. 



Chiswick. — April 1. Very fine. 2. Slight rain. 3. Cloudy : fine: rain. 4,5. 

 Fine : sharp frost at nights. 6. Cloudy : clear and frosty at night. 7. Cloudy 

 and cold. 8. Showery. 9. Cold rain : clear and frosty. 10 Densely clouded. 

 11. Heavy clouds. 12. Fine : cloudy. 13. Cloudy : clear : slight frost. 14. 

 Cold haze. 15. Uniform haze. 16. Slight haze : heavy rain. 17. Cloudy and 

 mild : showery. 18. Cloudy. 19. Very fine. 20. Very fine : rain at night. 

 21. Cloudy: rain. 22. Rain. 23. Very fine. 24. Slight haze: clear. 25. Cold 

 haze : cloudy : clear. 26. Foggv : very fine : frosty at night. 27. Cloudy and 

 cold : clear and frosty. 28. Very fine. 29. Showery: clear and frosty.— 30. Fine: 

 showery : frosty.— Fourteen nights in this month were more or less frosty. 



Mean temperature of the month ^^ '56 



Mean temperature of April 1850 48 -41 



Mean temperature of April for the last twenty-five years ... 47 -43 



Average amount of rain in April 1-64 inch. 



Soi/on. — April 1. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 2. Rain : rain a m. 3. Cloudy : 

 rain p.m. 4, 5. Cloudy. 6, 7. Fine. 8. Fine : rain p.m. 9. Rain : rain a.m. 

 10. Fine : rain a.m. ) 1—16. Cloudy. 17. Cloudy : rain early a.m. 18. Cloudy : 

 rain P.M. 19. Fine. 20. Fine: rain p.m. 21, 22. Cloudy. 23-25. Fine. 

 26. Fine: rain P.M. 27. Cloudy. 28. Fine. 29. Rain a.m. and p.m. 30. Cloudy: 



rain a.m. , , t-> h j 



Applegarlli Manse, Dumfriesshire.— April 1. Fair but cloudy. 2. Dull and 

 showery. 3. Fair and fine : very mild p.m. 4. Fair and fine. 5. F^air a.m. : a 

 few drops P.M. 6. Fair and fine. 7. Fair ; dull. 8. Fair : clear p.m. 9. Fair: 

 gray:cold. 10. Frost hard ; clear and fine. 11. Frost : dull ; clear p.m. 12. 

 Cold, but not frost : a few drops. 13. Frost gentle : cold p.m. 14. Frost keen : 

 droughty. 15. No frost : cold and dry : a few drops, 16. Frost again : keen: 

 cloudy P.M. 17. Heavy rain nearly all day. 18. Rain : very beneficial. 19. 

 Frequent showers p.m. 20. Fair till nine p.m. : rain. 21. Fair all day, but 

 cloudy. 2-2. Showers a.m. and p.m. 23. Remarkably fine day. 24. Re- 

 markably fine day: thunder. 25. Thunder again: a few drops. 26. Slight 

 shower of snow : rain p.m. 27. Slight shower of snow : frost a.m. 28. Frost : 

 a few drops of rain p.m. 29. Cold : keen : frequent showers : thunder : sleet on 

 hills. 30. Cold, but no frost: a few drops. 



Mean temperature of the month 43''-7 



Mean temperature of April 1850 46 -3 



Mean temperature of April for twenty-nine years 44*3 



Average rain in April for twenty-four years 1"S1 inch. 



S/tntiwick Mu).se,Or/;iiey.—ApT\il. Cloudy. 2. Clear : fine a.m. 3. Fine a.m. 

 4,5. Fine. 6. Drops: fine : drops 7. Fine. 8. Fine : cloudy. 9 — 12. Fine. 

 13. Drops: drizzle: showers. 14— 16. Cloudy. 17. Bright : cloudy. 18. Fog: 

 showers. 19. Bright : clear a.m. 20. Cloudy. 21. Drops : rain: clear. 22. 

 Cloudy : showers : clear. 23. Drizzle : showers ; clear. 24. Cloudy : damp. 

 25. Cloudy : sleet showers. 26, 27. Sleel-showers ; haiishowers. 28. Sleel- 

 showers. 29. Rain : cloudv. 30. Clear : rain. 



Ann. i^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol.vn. 33 



