264 A DESCANT ON CREATION. [^September, 



A DESCANT ON CREATION. 



Some Observations on the Vicissitudes of our Climate on 

 Organic Life. 



The significant adage, " As uncertain as the weather/' is suit- 

 ably applied to our climate, when from day to day we know not 

 what may occur, and so variable are our seasons that nothing 

 can be adduced to show anything like regularity even during an 

 age. The last winter has been singularly anomalous in that re- 

 spect. We had nothing in the weather to indicate winter but in 

 November and the last two days of March and the first two days 

 of April. In November the weather was unusually severe for 

 that time of the year during a fortnight. By the 24th of the 

 month, the pools were covered with skaters and sliders, and 

 those who availed themselves of the opportunity filled their ice- 

 houses. Afterwards the weather was remarkably mild, with 

 little or no frost or snow until the 29th of IMarch, when it be- 

 came again very severe. On the 30th, a great fall of snow, 

 when the Damson, Cherry, and Plum, and some Pear-trees were 

 in full bloom, and were now loaded with snow. 



On the 31st an intense frost, — thermometer 12° below the 

 freezing-point, — which continued on the 1st of April ; the roads' 

 a sheet of ice. Vegetation, which had made unusual progress 

 during the winter, suffered much. Such of the fruit-trees as 

 were in bloom suffered materially ; in many places there will 

 be no fruit at all. 



Before this severe weather happened, the bees were abroad in 

 abundance, feeding on the flowers of the difierent fruit-trees and 

 other plants ; they were seldom seen afterwards notwithstanding 

 the weather was very fine : they did not seem to visit any flower, 

 even those which appeared afterwards; so that it appears that 

 the frost had some effect on the nectary or honey^ the bees there- 

 fore not liking it. 



I observed in the first week in January the following native 

 and exotic plants in bloom, — Primula vulgaris, Corylus Avellana, 

 Eranthis hyemalis ; in the last week in January, — Galanthus 

 nivalis, Daphne Mezereum, Daphne Laureola, with Crocuses and 

 Hepaticas. 



In the first week in February, Heleborus foetidus, PotentUla 



