Meteorological Observations. 399 



This fish, too, is remarkable for the very singular manner in which 

 it is said to feed. It is asserted that it lives principally on ants and 

 white ants, which it obtains by laying its tail out upon land. The 

 ants, attracted by its mucous covering, crawl thickly upon it, when 

 the fish dives down and leaves the ants struggling upon the sur- 

 face of the water, where it is enabled to eat them at its leisure. The 

 Indians assert that, when fishing at night, they often see this take 

 place. 



To give some idea of the distribution of fishes in the rivers of 

 South America, I may mention, that of 205 species which I found in 

 the Rio Negro, — 



43 were spinous-finned fishes, principally Percidce and Labridce ; 

 54 were Siluridce ; 

 80 were Salmonidce ; 



24 were other soft-finned fishes, of the families Esocidce, AnyuiU'uhe 

 and CyprinidcB ; and 

 4 were Ray fish (cartilaginous fishes). — Zool.Proc. July 12, 1853. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR SEPT. 1854. 



Chiswick. — September 1. Very fine. 2. Slight fog : very fine. 3. Foggy : verv 

 fine. 4. Foggy : slight haze : excessively dry air. 5. Very fine : hazy : fine. 

 6 — 10. Very fine. 11. Dense fog : clear : quite cloudless : very fine. 12. Dense 

 fog : very fine. 13. Cloudy : rain. 14. Cloudy : slight rain : overcast. 15. Very 

 fine. 16. Overcast. 17. Very fine. 18. Fine : cloudy : rain. 19. Overcast and 

 windy : slight rain. 20. Cloudy : rain. 21. Clear : quite cloudless : fine: light- 

 ning in the evening. 22. Very clear : fine. 23. Densely overcast. 24, 25. Very 

 fine. 26 — 29. Foggy, with very heavy dews in the mornings : very fine throughout 

 the days : clear and cold at nights. 30. Dense fog throughout. 



Mean temperature of the month 56°-93 



Mean temperature of Sept. 1853 55*45 



Mean temperature of Sept. for the last twenty-eight years... 56 -98 



Average amount of rain in Sept 2*57 inches. 



Boston. — Sept. 1—4. Fine. 5. Cloudy. 6. Fine. 7 — 9. Cloudy. 10 — 12. 

 Fine. 13. Cloudy. 14. Rain a.m. 15 — 17. Cloudy. 18. Fine. 19. Cloudy: 

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

 stormy a.m. and p.m. 25 — 29. Fine. 30. Foggy. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — Sept. 1. Cloudy a.m. : clear p.m. 2. Clear a.m. : 

 cloudy p.m. 3. Clear, fine a.m. : clear p.m. 4. Rain a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 5. 

 Cloudy, fine a.m. : cloudy p.m. 6. Drizzle a.m. : rain p.m. 7. Drizzle a.m. : 

 cloudy p.m. 8. Cloudy a.m. : clear, fine, aurora p.m. 9. Clear, fine a.m. and p.m. 

 10. Bright, fine a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 11. Rain a.m. and p.m. 12. Clear, fine a.m. : 

 cloudy p.m. 13. Clear a.m. : rain p.m. 14. Clear a.m. : showers p.m. 15. 

 Showers a.m. and p.m. 16. Showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 17. Bright a.m. : 

 showers p.m. 18. Showers a.m. and p.m. 19. Bright a.m. : clear p.m. 20. 

 Showers a.m.: cloudy p.m. 21. Bright a.m.: clear p.m. 22. Bright a.m.: 

 cloudy p.m. 23, 21. Rain a.m. : clear p.m. 25. Showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 26. 

 Showers a.m. : clear p.m. 27. Clear a.m. : cloudy p.m. 28. Clear, fine a.m. : 

 clear p.m. 29. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 30. Hazy a.m. : clear p.m. 



Mean temperature of Sept. for twenty-seven previous years . 52 0, 32 



Mean temperature of this month 55 - 07 



Mean temperature of Sept. 1853 53-28 



Average quantity of rain in Sept. for fourteen previous years 281 inches. 



