PREFACE. 



As Intellect is on the March, and Natural History and 

 Philosophy becoming daily more and more diffused; as Learning 

 is beginning to pervade all orders, Mechanics Institutes to rise in 

 all country towns, and most commercial cities to boast of their 

 Universities ; so it may be fairly presumed that there will be 

 found a corresponding increase of taste for science, and of 

 encouragement given to those popular works which render it of 

 easy acquisition, and which, by mixing the useful with the 

 agreeable, achieve what is the ultimate aim of philosophy to point 

 out what ought to be known, and to render its acquirement a 

 source of daily delight and amusement. 



It need hardly be insisted on, here, that works which aflFord 

 short and easy lessons for daily instruction and amusement, 

 possess in a high degree this recommendation. And we will not 

 dwell on the ample manner in which the little work which vve 

 now offer to the public for the second time is calculated to aflFord 

 this twofold source of pleasure and profit to those who daily 

 peruse its pages ; each of which being dedicated to the considera- 

 tion of one day in the year, affords an easy opportunity by 

 reading it every morning at breakfast, of knowing not only what 

 day is at hand, as it is noted in the Calendar and Almanack, and 

 what particular Fasts and Festivals are celebrated, but also what 

 natural phenomena we may expect to find when we go abroad. 

 For during the whole course of the work we have taken care to 

 add, to the chronological and historical description of each day, 

 a catalogue of the principal wild and garden plants, which are 

 found on average of years to come into flower, — what fruits are 

 in season, — what migratory birds arrive, — what insects appear, — 

 and in the heavens, what stars are above the horizon. For what- 

 ever phenomena the year presents in the revolving circle of the 

 seasons, will be found noticed in its proper place. So that the 

 observations taken collectively will constitute a comprehensive 

 Indicatorial Calendar of Nature. 



Thus much relates to those phenomena which recur with 

 little variety every succeeding year. But there are some which 

 only occur on particular years as some astronomical phenomena ; 

 the situation of planets ; the appearance of comets ; eclipses of the 

 sun and moon ; and so on. Of these we shall therefore take some 

 popular notice. There will be eclipses of the sun on the 3d of 



