Nofes of a meteorological Tour. - f) 



abbey. The lower atmosphere was damp and hazy. Swallow 

 {Hintndo ruslica) first seen, and the bat seen. 



ylpril 27. — We left Linlithgow at 5 A.M. Fair morning and 

 warm, with curlcloud, and some stackenclouds, &c. I had oc- 

 casion to notice a large number of swallows from the tower of 

 Doon Castle. We arrived to dinner at Callender in the High- 

 land<. I noticed in the evening?, after a fair day, tliat the citmili 

 which had previously only lodged on the mountain tops, de- 

 scended lower and lower, till I sa\v them dissolve into fallcloud, 

 or fog, and fill the valleys. I never had an opportunity of seeinj; 

 this ])rocess so perfect before. The squalling of tp.e peacocks u\ 

 the evening, and the increase of clouds aloft, indicate rain. Ben 

 Leddi is still covered at the top with snow, and few trees have 

 any'appearance of verdure yet. There is a striking similarity 

 between the general face of the country heie and that of part oi: 

 iMerionethshiie and other parts of North Wales. There is said 

 to be a great resemblance between the inhabitants of mountainoi:s 

 countries, but I observe a striking difference between the High- 

 land Scotch and the North Welch. The former have a greater 

 disposition to acquire knowledge, but are more circumspect, and 

 not of so warm a disposition in general. 



April 28. — Cinmdi creeping up the hills. They were capped 

 with clouds all the vv'ay we travelled by Loch Ern to Crieft". 

 Some of these clouds however were higher, and tliere were fea- 

 tures of sonderdoud and curlcloud higher up. The manners of 

 the people change very much as one advances from the capital 

 towards the Highlands. The dress too of the Highlanders, with 

 their plaids and kilts. The style of building of the old towns 

 resembles somewhat that of the old towns on the French coast. 

 We saw water-dorkers about the lakes ; alhO the water-ouzel. 



April 29. — Clouds on tjie hills ; and then continued showers 

 of gentle rain. We proceeded to Perth — Here again the man- 

 ners of the people are more anglicized. The tvvaindouds and 

 rainclouds rested on hills not more than 1000 feet high, which 

 i') very low for these clouds. 



April 'M. — Leaving Perth early, \ noticed the lowncss of the 

 clouds. Their hcij^ht cannot be so well found in a flat country, 

 as here where they are seen interposed between hills of known 

 h'Mglit. The rainclouds or niiiibi sweeping the sides of the hills 

 through the valleys often did not condense into drops of water, 

 till within 2 or 300 feet of the ground. We passed through Duu- 

 keld and Cupar of Angus, and slept at Forfar. The afternoon was 

 very rainy. Wc observed abundance of gulls, particularly the 

 black-headed gull on the ploughed grounds near Cupar. I saw 

 the martin, for the first time thi? year, fl\Ing over the Tay by 

 Punkeld's bridge. 



