FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 281 



appearance was no longer seen in the atmosphere. Similar falls 

 occurred in various parts of the world, and there seems little 

 doubt that all this dust that was deposited at about that time 

 was carried by winds from the great North African desert, the 

 Sahara, in which the occurrence of severe sandstorms not long 

 before had been observed and recorded. It was stated in the 

 Dorset County Chronicle that this deposit of yellow dust was very 

 noticeable on the pier at Swanage for some days after the fall 

 took place (E. R. B.). 



NOTE BY E. S. R. (CHARD). 



A mild winter, only two frosts of about a week each of hard 

 frost, when the ice bore and hunting was stopped. 



There was a great S.W. gale all the week ending Saturday, 

 February 28th, doing much damage. A very mild, but very wet 

 and stormy, March, hence an early spring and a late seed time 

 for garden and farm, the land being so wet. 1903 was one of 

 the wettest summers known for very many years. We had only 

 a fortnight's fine bright warm weather, at the end of June and 

 beginning of July, which was good for the hay harvest. On the 

 night of September loth England experienced one of the most 

 severe storms of wind and rain from the S.W. known for some 

 years. Immense damage was done throughout the country and 

 on the coast. At Chardstock we lost several large trees. A 

 remarkable phenomenon was that the trees, in full green leaf at 

 the time, were all shrivelled up and turned brown on the west 

 side from the salt from the Atlantic Ocean, which blew and was 

 felt inland for a great number of miles. At Chardstock we are 

 at least 60 miles from the nearest point of the Atlantic. The 

 rainfall was excessive all through the year, which was remarkable 

 for its floods. The winter up to December 26th was mild, but 

 on the last two days of the year there was a severe frost, 

 17 degrees being registered in this part of the country. October 

 was the wettest month, and floods occurred more than once. 

 The harvest was out in November. 



