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a ted 
Meteorological Observations. 529 
point streets or avenues were seen diverging over the tree in every 
direction, all teeming with a busy population.” —ZJbid, pp. 29, 30. 
Dominica.—‘‘ The zoology of Dominica is quite interesting. The 
wild boar is found in the woods; a species of boa constrictor is also 
met with, and not unfrequently pays a fatal visit to the poultry- 
yard. Paroquets are numerous, and several kinds of humming- 
birds abound. Immense numbers of land-crabs, at certain seasons, 
afford excellent food for all who take the trouble of catching them. 
The same may be said of the crapeaus, very large frogs, which fre- 
quent the pure, running waters, and are, as we can testify, an ex- 
cellent article of diet, the meat tasting like that of a chicken. But 
it is the vegetable luxuriance of this island which is the most striking 
to the eye of a stranger, far exceeding anything that we have else- 
where witnessed, except, perhaps, in some parts of Jamaica. Innu- 
merable shrubs, plants and trees, novel to us, with broad-leaved 
- creepers of various kinds, cover the hills with a remarkable depth 
of verdure. The most beautiful of these productions is the tree-fern, 
which grows to the height of twenty or even thirty feet, and waves 
its bright green feathers over the whole scenery of the island.”— 
Ibid, pp. 77, 78. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR DEC. 1840. 
Chiswick.—Dec. 1. Hazy: overcastand mild. 2. Very fine. 3. Frosty: fine. 
4, Sharp frost: overcast. 5,6. Hazy. 7. Overcast. &. Rain. 9. Frosty: 
clear. 10. Thawing: hazy. 11. Hazy. 12,13. Overcastand cold. 14. Sharp 
frost. 15. Dry frosty air. 126. Overcast: snowing. 17. Snowing: cloudy: 
severe frost at night. 18. Frosty: overcastandcold. 19. Hazy: rain. 20,21. 
Overcast and cold. 22—24. Severe frost. 25. Intense frost: Dense fog. 26. 
Thick hoar frost. 27—29. Foggy. 30. Clear: cloudy: rain at night. $31. 
Cloudy: clear and fine. 
The mean temperature of this month was lower than that of any December 
within at least the last forty years. 
Boston.—Dec. 1. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 2—4. Fine. 5—7. Cloudy. 8. 
Rain: rainearly a.m. 9. Fine. 10—13.-Cloudy. 14. Cloudy: snow p.m. 
15. Cloudy: snow a.m. 16. Snow. 17,18, Cloudy. 19. Rain. 20, 21, 
Cloudy. 22—24. Fine. 25—29. Cloudy. 30. Fine: rainr.u. 31. Fine. 
This is the coldest December since 1829. 
Applegarth Manse, Dum/fries-shire—Dec. 1. Raw but fair. 2,3. Fine and 
fair. 4, Slight showers. 5,6. Drizzling. 7. Wet and stormy. 8. Fair, but 
cloudy. 9,10. Fair, but wet preceding night. 11—13. Fair throughout. 
14—16. Hard frost. 17. Thaw, with slight drizzle. 18. Frost again. 19. 
Slight frost a.m. : drizzle. 20. Frost: Aurora Borealis, 21—24. Frost. 25. 
Frost a.m.: thaw rm. 26. Frostagain, butcloudy. 27. Thaw 4.m.: cloudy 
anddark. 28. Frost but slight. 29. Frost—moderate. 30. ‘Thaw and snow. 
31. Raw and drizzly. 
Sun shone out 21 days. Rain fell 9 days. Snow 1 day. Frost 14 days. 
Wind north | day. North-north-east 1 day. North-east 7$ days. East-north- 
east I day. East 4 days. East-south-east 3 days. South-east 3days. South- 
south-east | day. South 1 day. South-west 35 days. West south-west 1 day. 
West 2 days. North-west 2 days. : 
Calm 12 days. Moderate 8 days. Brisk 6 days. Strong breeze 1 day. 
Boisterous 4 days. 
Mean temperature of the month .......... » 86° 
Mean temperature of December 1839 ... 34 °9 
Mean temperature ofspring-water ......... 42 -16 
Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Vol. vi., Suppl. 2M 
