234 ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA, 



constant night frosts (16° Fahr. in the first week of 

 May), and though by the 1 3th of May twelve kinds 

 of flowers had blossomed, it was generally in very 

 small numbers, by ones and twos under stones and 

 bushes, where they were protected from storms. 

 The wind and snow continued to the second week 

 in May ; indeed no rain fell, whilst snow fell on 

 seventeen days. Moreover, the • wind blew hard 

 and incessantly by day and night, most frequently 

 from the east or from the west ; but it varied much, 

 constantly shifting from one quarter to another, and 

 sometimes coming in violent gusts. While these 

 gales lasted, and for hours afterwards, the air was 

 laden with dust from the neighbouring deserts. 



Notwithstanding the abundance of the atmo- 

 spheric deposits and the humidity of the soil, the 

 Avatercourses contained less water than in the sum- 

 mer, and many were quite dry ; whilst the psychro- 

 meter indicated considerable dryness m the air on 

 those days on which it neither snowed nor rained. 

 The first of these phenomena is probably due to the 

 circumstance that the frozen earth imbibed a great 

 deal of the moisture which fell ; and the dryness of 

 the atmosphere in clear weather was doubtless 

 caused by the influence of the surrounding barren 

 plains, which were at this time quite parched. 



We had no fine spring weather. Occasionally it 

 would clear up at midday, but the wind would again 

 rise, bringing more snow and a lower temperature. 

 The hottest day was the 24th April, when the mer- 

 cury stood at 68° Fahr. in the shade ; whilst the 



