Meteorological Obsei-vations. 159 



Ptilonopus pxjrpureocinctus. 



Crown and base of lower mandible deep rosy purple, surrounded 

 posteriorly with yellow ; throat white ; sides and behind the neck 

 greenish grey ; feathers of the upper part of the breast deej) greyish 

 green, with the end of each bifurcation white ; lower part of the 

 breast green, with a broad mark of deep purple ; middle of the abdo- 

 men yellowish green, with the sides orange ; vent pale yellow, with 

 the sides green ; under tail-coverts orange ; back and lesser wing- 

 coverts bronzy green ; greater wing-coverts, secondaries and tertials 

 bluish green, margined with yellow ; quills green, narrowly margined 

 with yellow ; tail green tinged with yellow, with the apical portion 

 broadly margined with white ; tail-feathers tinged on the outer web 

 with green, and all margined with yellow. — Total length, 9 inches. 



It is unknown from whence this fine species was brought. — Proc. 

 Zool. Sac. March 22, 18.")3. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR DEC. 1854. 

 Chiswick. — December 1. Clear and fine. 2. Overcast : very large halo round 

 the moon. 3. Cloudy : clear. 4. Clear and fine. 5. Fine : cloudy : clear at 

 night : rain. G, 7. Fine : cloudy. 8. Densely overcast. 9. Cloudy. 10. Clear 

 and cold. 11. Sharp frost : fine. 12. Very fine. 13. Hazy: overcast: rain. 

 14. Densely clouded. 15. Dusky flying clouds : overcast : rain. 16. Cloudy : 

 fine. 17. Clear : fine : rain. 18. Rain : heavy clouds : clear and cold : rain. 19. 

 Very fine : rain. 20. Stormy and wet. 21. Fine: rain: overcast. 22. Cloudy 

 and boisterous : rain at night. 23. Fine : cloudy : overcast : rain. 24. Fine : rain. 

 25. Densely clouded : rain : clear and fine. 26. Clear and fine. 27. Fine. 28. 

 Clear and frosty : very fine: frosty. 29. Overcast. 30. Cloudy : fine. 31. Over- 

 cast : cloudy : boisterous. 



Mean temperature of the month 39°'35 



Mean temperature of Dec. 1853 32 "49 



Mean temperature of Dec. for the last twenty-eight years ... 39 '64 



Average amount of rain in Dec 1"50 inch. 



Boston. — Dec. 1, 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy: rain p.m. 4. Fine. 5. Cloudy. 6. 

 Fine : rain a.m. and p.m. 7. Fine. 8. Cloudy. 9. Fine : rain and snow p.m. 

 10,11. Fine. 12. Fine : rain p.m. 13. Cloudy. 14. Cloudy: rain a.m. 15. 

 Fine. 16. Fine : rain a.m. 17. Fine. 18. Rain a.m. and snow p.m. 19. Fine: 

 rain P.M. 20. Rain a.m. 21. Cloudy : rain a.m. 22. Cloudy. 23,24. Fine. 

 25. Cloudy : rain p.m. 26. Cloudy. 27. Fine : rain a.m. and p.m. 28. Fine. 

 29—31. Cioud}'. 



Sandivick Manse, Orkney. — Dec. 1. Snow-showers a.m. : bail-showers p.m. 

 2. Snow-showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 3. Rain a.m. : showers p.m. 4. Showers 

 A.M. and P.M. 5. Showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 6. Showers a.m. and p.m. 7. 

 Cloudy a.m. : sleet-showers p.m. 8. Showers a.m. : sleet-showers p.m. 9. Showers 

 A.M. and p.m. 10. Bright a.m. : snow p.m. 11. Cloudy a.m. : showers p.m. 12. 

 Sleet-showers a.m. : showers p.m. 13. Cloudy a.m. : showers, thunder and light- 

 ning p.m. 14. Sleet-showers a.m. : showers p.m. 15. Sleet-showers a.m. and p.m. 

 16. Hail-showers a.m. : sleet-showers p.m. 17. Sleet-showers a.m. : hail-showers, 

 frost p.m. 18. Hail-showers, frost a.m. and p.m. 19. Cloudy, frost a.m. : rain p.m. 

 20. Sleet-showers a.m. : clear p.m. 21. Drizzle a.m. : showers p.m. 22. Damp 

 A.M. : sleet-showers p.m. 23. Hail-showers a.m. : sleet-showers p.m. 24. Showers 

 A.M. : sleet-showers p.m. 25. Showers a.m. : hail-showers p.m. 26. Snow a.m. : 

 hail-showers p.m. 27. Snow a.m. : snow, clear p.m. 28. Snow, cloudy a.m. : 

 rain P.M. 29. Drizzle a.m. and p.m. 30. Sleet-showers a.m. : hail-showers p.m. 

 31. Showers a.m. : rain p.m. 



Mean temperature of Dec. for twenty-seven previous years . 41°-10 



Mea.i temperature of this month 39 '13 



Mean temperature of Dec. 1853 38 '97 



Average quantity of rain in Dec. for fourteen previous years 3 95 inches. 



