$16 Calendar of Flora, Fauna and Pomona. 



in the maimer I have before described, 1 found the spectrum 

 vary so much from time to time in the glass that I thought it 

 useless to record the colours. This must have been owing 

 to some state of the air. The change of colour in the fluc- 

 tuation or twinkling of the fixed stars was less than usual, 

 and was totally invisible in Archirus, and even in Betalgeus, 

 where it is usually very strong. It was also faint in Spica 

 Virginia and in Sirius, and was indiscernible in Proci/on. This 

 shows that that quality of the air which produces the salient and 

 irregular spectrum, is not the same quality which seems to 

 cause the greatest alternation in the colour of the fluctuation 

 of starlight, 



March 5. — Anemone Jwrtensis and Narcissus Pseudonarcissus 

 in flower. 



March 7. — Prinrala verna (the Primrose) begins to flower 

 on the banks most exposed to the sun. 



March 8. — Primula elatior (the Oxlip) in blow, also Blue 

 Spring Crocus. 



March 11. — Viola odorata, both the white and blue variety 

 in flower abundantly. The Daphne Mezercon, which was to- 

 lerably full in flower in the beginning of last month, has not 

 continued to expand its flowers, but seems thrown back, as if 

 by some unfriendly state of the atmosphere : and in general 

 the plants have made very little progress, and vegetation seems 

 at a stand. Frogs croak, and the Smallest Willow Wren ap- 

 pears. The titmice Parus cceridcus and P. major very noisy. 



March 12. — Narcissus Icetus in flower. 



March 13. — Hyacinthus orientalis. 



March li. — Daphne Mezereon resumes the opening of its 

 flowers. 



Ficaria verna and Tussilago Farfara blow. 



March 19. — The Butterbur, Tussilago Pctasites, appears 

 above ground. 



March 20. — Some extraordinary change of the atmosphere 

 took place to night, about 1 1 P.M. A lamp burning in my 

 room put forth a flame of a very unusual form, otherwhere to 

 be described ; there was a sudden depression of the barome- 

 ter, and a prodigious increase of moisture indicated. 



The general appearance of nature is much more backward 

 than in 1822, but less so than in 1823. What I call the 

 equinoctial or primaveral Flora, considerably advanced. 

 Daffodils are already numerous ; the Pilewort begins to be 

 common, and to bespangle the fields and banks with its golden 

 star. Daisies abundant. Dandelion yet somewhat scarce. 

 The Hepatica and Polyanthuses abundant. Primroses begin 

 to cover every bank with their pale (lowers in the greatest 

 profusion. I beg 



