METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 389 



mon brown, crossed by two black bars. The black and white work- 

 ings on the wings and back closely resemble those of the P. pubes- 

 cens, except that in the latter bird the white is purer. 



A comparison of the more prominent differences between P. meridi- 

 onalis and P. pubescens : 



p. MERIDIONALIS. 



Length, six inches ; under parts, hair brown ; lateral tail feathers, 

 cinnamon brown, with two black bars ; red of head, above the white 

 band which reaches to the bill. 



p. PUBESCENS. 



Length, six inches and three-quarters ; under parts white ; lateral 

 tail feathers white, with two black bars ; red of head below white 

 band, which does not reach to bill 



Swainson gives the habitat of P. meridionalis as Georgia. I can 

 hardly think so, for Audubon searched that State, and he does not 

 record the bird. It may more probably be Mexico, but if so, it is a 

 long journey for a young bird to Canada. 



The other bird I wish to record is the Ortygometra (Rallus. L.) 

 Jamaiciencis, a specimen of which was procured near Ingersoll, I be- 

 lieve, in 1857, and is now in the collection of Wm. Poole, Esq. 

 Audubon figures it in his Synopsis, Plate cccxlix., and thus describes 

 it: "Head and lower parts, dark purplish grey, approaching to 

 black ; the sides and lower wing coverts and abdomen barred with 

 greyish white ; hind head and fore part of back dark chestnut ; the 

 rest of the upper parts greyish black, tinged with brown, and trans- 

 versely barred with white ; wings inclining to reddish brown. From 

 Louisiana to New Jersey : migratory." 



COMPARATIVE TABULAR METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVA- 

 TIONS IN CANADA, ENGLAND AND RUSSIA. 



BY yv. GRJBME TOMKINS, C.E., P.L.S. 



Read before the Canadian Institute, 22nd February, 1859. 



The very able and valuable observations, on the meteorological 

 phenomena of Toronto, carried on in the Provincial Observatory under 

 Professor Kingston, have prompted me to join my feeble endeavours in 



