DECEMBER, 1881. 



when, as last winter, we had a prevalence of northerly 

 gales, the influence of the Gulf Stream would be reduced 

 to a minimum ; while this season, with our succession of 

 south-westerly hurricanes, its influence upon our waters 

 should be increased to a maximum. Certain it is that 

 our short notes of surprise at the spawn of various marine 

 creatures must be accentuated since we have had at 

 length an opportunity of traversing the littoral during a 

 really low tide. Never in our experience of the sea shore 

 have we witnessed, winter or summer, such a display of 

 spawn, more especially of whelks, as we did during last 

 week, when over a great stretch of shore dotted with 

 stones at verge of low tide these were literally white 

 with whelk spawn mostly newly deposited. We could 

 have collected bushels of it from a very limited area, so 

 that the excessively wet season we owe to these same 

 south-westerly winds might be naturally looked upon as 

 the cause of the unexpected whelk harvest to follow. 



Although the local temperature of the air can have 

 little influence upon our seas, yet the same prime cause 

 the prevailing mild southerly gales has influenced 

 our gardens and woodlands, probably to their early 

 sorrow. For not only have the leaves pushed themselves 

 well forward on the sanguine woodbines, but the rose 

 bushes have themselves been deceived into showing 

 strong buds. Still more unusual and much less accep- 

 table, if persisted in, was the lively assemblage our friend 

 met on the highway this week. For the sun was playing 

 mildly on a bosky corner, and had enticed thence quite 

 a lively band of gnats, ignorant of the unkind trick the 

 great luminary had stopped to indulge in. The Great 

 Shadow would not be long of overtaking them, however ; 

 and no doubt they would all soon be ready for the 



