THE WEATHER OF MAY. 187 
Another cold, almost wintry, month, making the seventh in 
succession with a temperature below the average! Polar winds prevailed, 
varying from N.E. to N.W., but of moderate strength, with some calms. 
The nights of the 3rd and 10th were extremely cold; the protected 
thermometer falling at many stations to from 7° to 9° degrees below 
zero. The thermometer exposed on the grass at Leicester registered 
12-2° on the 10th. Snow fell at several stations on the Ist, 7th, 9th, and 
26th. During the first three weeks the barometer ranged high, the 
pressure during the last week being nearly half-an-inch lower, indicating 
the passage of numerous depressions from west to east, accompanied by 
very unsettled weather. Rainfall rather above the average. Thunder- 
storms occurred on the 1st, 11th, 14th, 26th, and 28th; that of the 14th 
was accompanied by a remarkable gloom, lasting at Buxton from nine to 
10 45 a.m., and commencing at Orleton (near Tenbury) at 215 p.m. All 
observers concur in noticing the great backwardness of vegetation 
generally, which is estimated at one clear month behind the 
average. 
Naturat History Nores sy Osservers.—Tenbury—Cherry trees in 
blossom on 3rd; Damson, 7th; Pear, 23rd; Apple, 27th. Pitsford, near 
Northampton—Swallows first seen on 3rd. Weston-under-Lyziard—Cuckoo 
first heard, 4th; Landrail,19th. Waltham-le-Wold—Hawthorn blossomed 
on 31st. Alstonfield—Vegetation more backward than in any season 
remembered. Ash tree only flowered towards the close of the month, 
and on the hills here still (June 5th) shows no leaf, although it does so 
in the warmer valleys to the south of us. Wych Elm (Ulmus montana) 
had, in the more forward instances, leaves barely half-grown on May 81st, 
while some of the later varieties had no leaves at all, only the nearly 
fully-formed seed vessels; Beech had leaves three-parts grown; Sand 
Martin seen on May 12th; Swifton May 14th. Cheltenham—Walnut Trees 
killed by frost of 10th; still black and leafless at end of month. More 
Rectory, (Bishop’s Castle )—Bats flying on evening of 12th; Goldfinches 
andBlackbirds are abundant; Thrushes more rare ; Common Wren scarce ; 
Landrail heard on 29th. Shijnal—Oak only in tender yellow leaf on 
29th, and some just bursting; Asparagus cut on 4th; Wild Cherry 
flowered 16th; Turtle Dove arrived 16th; Swifts, 17th; Martins, 21st; 
Flycatcher, 27th; Orange-tip Butterfly, 27th; Nightingale heard on 7th. 
Castle Street, Bishop’s Castle—Switts arrived on 1st; Corn-crake heard on 
ilth. Stoney Middleton—Oak and Ash just opening into leaf on 81st. 
Park Hill, Nottingham—Everything extremely backward ; a spinney near 
here which at the beginning of May last year was over four feet high in 
4ithusa and Nettles, was this year scarcely over the boot tops. The 
number of nests built in holly hedges is extraordinary, they being the 
only ones capable of concealing anything. Strowd—List of flowers and 
date of blossoming :—1lst, Blackthorn, Foetid Hellebore; 7th, Garlick, 
Hedge Mustard; 8th, Veronica polita, Ranunculus acris, R. auricomus, 
Prunus domestica; 10th, Saxifraga tridactylites ; 12th, Polygala vulgaris, 
Orchis mascula, Carex precox, Luzula campestris ; 18th, Alchemilla vulq.; 
19th, Cardamine amara, Viola tricolor, Yellow Dead Nettle; 21st, Barbarea 
. vulg., Ajuga reptans, Plantago lanceolata; 22nd, Blue Bell, Geranium 
Robertianum, Mehringia trinervis, Orchis Morio, Stellaria nemorum; 
26th, Woodruff, Forget-me-Not, Potentilla Tormentilla, Arum maculatum, 
Geranium lucidum ; 27th, Tufted Vetch, Plantago major, Sherardia arvensis, 
Euphorbia helioscopia; 28th, Saniculé Europea; 29th, Allium sativum, 
Lychnis dioica; 30th, Cochlear. officinal.; 31st, Carex pendula, Valerian. 
oficin. Highfield House Observatory, Nottingham—Narcissus, Wall Pears, 
Wild Cherry, fl. on 8th; Blackthorn and plum, fi. on 11th; Wild 
Hyacinth, fl., 23rd; Wisteria, fl., 25th; Lily of the Valley, Bird Cherry, 
fi., 26th ; Landrail heard on 11th; Flycatcher arrived on 28th. 
