ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 7 



The long light nights, even at this point, are ex- 

 ceedingly striking to a stranger from the south, and in 

 another month's time would be much more so. At 

 11.10 p.m., on May 27, I could see to write quite 

 clearly in the open air. There was a very remarkable 

 change in the weather in the morning. A very bitter 

 cold wind "set in from the north-east, chilling to the 

 very marrow, and accompanied with heavy and fre- 

 quent hail-showers. The same cold, but in a slightly 

 milder form, prevailed next day (May 28th), and I 

 afterwards heard that a fearful gale had been expe- 

 rienced upon the west coast, the effects of which were 

 more or less felt throughout the kingdom; while, 

 curious to relate, in the Shetland Isles, as a traveller 

 informed me, the air was completely unruffled, and a 

 perfect calm reigned throughout. Truly the laws that 

 regulate the distribution of the aerial currents are very 

 puzzling and wonderful ! My anticipations of fine 

 and more seasonable weather were necessarily, for the 

 time, very decidedly damped, and though thickly and 

 warmly clad, and amply provided against all rea- 

 sonable transitions of temperature, it was impossible 

 to be insensible to the bitter fluctuations of its freezing, 

 vehement, and almost arctic gusts. 



On the following morning (May 29) the wind 

 suddenly veered round to the south, and remained 

 in that quarter throughout the day, accompanied 

 with a very slight, warm rain, and the change 



