Meteorological Observations. 359 



BIRTH OF A GIRAFFE AT THE GARDEN OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The following particulars of the birth of the young Giraffe were 

 communicated to the Zool. Soc. at the Meeting on Tuesday evening 

 last by Professor Owen. 



** The Giraffe brought forth a young male June 19th, after a 

 gestation of 15 lunar months. The young animal was able to stand 

 a few hours after birth, and could reach the height of six feet. He 

 was capering about the day after he was born, and shows a remark- 

 able degree of development and strength, as might be expected from 

 the long period of gestation. The mother, though not unkind to her 

 offspring, refuses to suckle him ; but there seems to be no difficulty 

 in bringing him up by hand. Admeasurements of the different parts 

 of the young animal were given, and the anatomy of the foetal mem- 

 branes and cotyledons described. Drawings of the mother and her 

 young, by Mr. Hills, the well-known animal painter, were exhibited 

 to the meeting.'* 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MAY, 1839. 



Chiswick. — May 1 — 6. Very fine. 7. Clear and dry. 8. Fine : much thun- 

 der and lightning at night. 9,10. Cloudy and cold. 11. Fine, but cold. 12. 

 Cloudy: rain. 13. Clear. 14. Cold rain. 15,16. Clear: cloudy and cold : 

 frosty at night. 17. Fine: frosty at night. 18. Very fine. 19. Overcast. 20. 

 Very fine. 21. Dry haze. 22 — 25. Cold and dry. 26. Dry haze : fine. 

 27 — 31. Fine. — The weather at the commencement of the month was very fine, 

 but after the thunder on the Sth it became cold and unseasonable. The nights 

 were generally cold, and between the 14th and 17th they were successively frosty. 



Boston. — May 1. Fine. 2. Cloudy: rain p.m. 3. Cloudy. 4 — 8. Fine. 9. 

 Cloudy: rain a.m. and p.m. 10. Stormy: rain early a.m. 11. Cloudy: rain 

 P.M. 12. Rain: rain early a.m. : rain a.m. 13. Cloudy. 14. Cloudy: rain 

 and hail P.M. 15. Cloudy. 16—18. Fine. 19. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 20. 

 Fine. 21. Cloudy. 22. Rain. 23. Fine. 24. Rain. 25. Cloudy. 26, 27. 

 Fine. 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30, 31. Cloudy. 



Applegarlh Majise, Dumfries-shire. — May I. Beautiful summer day: heavy 

 dew. 2. The same, but droughty. 3. Still fine, though getting cloudy. 4. 

 Gentle rain all day : everything refreshed. 5. Moist a.m. : cleared up p.m. 6. 

 Fine day: evening cool. 7. Hoar frost early a.m. : clear and calm. 8. Very 

 warm: air electrical : cool p.m. 9. Dry and parching : very chill. 10. Wither- 

 ing day : wind piercing. 11. Wind changed to N.W. : returned to E. p.m. 

 12. Calm and warm : cool p.m. 13. Cloudy: very slight showers. 14. Frost: 

 ice on the pools : slight snow showers. 15. Strong frost a.m. : getting cloudy : 

 slight showers. 16. Temperature rising, but still cold. 17. Getting cloudy, 

 but barometer still rising. 18. Fine soft rain nearly all day. 19. Warm and 

 sunny throughout. 20. Beautiful summer day. 21. Very droughty, though 

 one or two slight showers. 22. Withering day. 23. Boisterous weather and 

 withering. 24. Temperature improving : cool p.m. 25. Quiet day : bright sun- 

 shine. 26. The same : rather showery p.m. 27. Droughty in the extreme. 

 28. Atmosphere highly electrical. 29 — 31. Not a cloud visible. 



Sun shone 29 days. Rain fell 4 days. Frost 2 days. Snow 1 day. 



Wind northerly 13 days. Southerly 11 days. Easterly 5 days. Westerly 2 

 days. 



Calm weather 11 days. Brisk 6 days. Moderate 9 days. Boisterous 3 days. 

 Strong steady breeze 2 days. 



