XII. — A Calendar of Natural Periodic Phenomena ; hept at Bodmin, 

 for the year 1865. — By Thomas Q. Couch. 



"II semble, en effet, que les ph^nomenes periodiques forment, pour les 

 etres organises, en dehors de la vie individuelle, une vie commune dont on 

 ne pent saisir les phases qu'en I'etudiant simultanement sur toute la terre." 

 "-Quetelet. 



THE year 1865 was, in many respects, a notable one; and our 

 Calendar may well be prefaced by a few general observations, 

 not capable of tabulation, which will help us to a better notion of 

 its character. 



A rough, inclement "Winter, and a bleak, dank Spring, retarded! 

 all the processes of Nature, so that until the third week in March 

 there were scarcely any perceptible signs of life in our fields and 

 hedgerows. The grass was brown and scanty. Sheep, unable to 

 pick up sustenance, died in considerable numbers, and most were 

 dependent on food carried to them in the shape of corn, turnips, and 

 even ivy-bushes. The last week in March gave us some fine, sunny 

 days, in which vegetation made a sudden and long stride ; and the 

 winter-migratory birds, which had stayed with us till then, took 

 their departure hastily. April was marked throughout by fine, 

 warm, growing weather, though a little breezy. May was, with 

 exception of a few frosty mornings about the third week, a fine,, 

 mild, and moist month. The grass sprouted luxuriantly, but the 

 frost told severely on the apple crop. June gave us a clear month's 

 drought, and the green crops suffered much from heat and the fly. 

 The hay-harvest was early and fine ; but the shred of seed-hay was 

 slight; fully compensated, however, by a fine aftermath. The 

 end of June brought us a few opportune showers. Corn-harvest 

 was generally early; July and August moist and "catching"; 

 barley ripening earlier than wheat. The kerning of the latter was 

 much damaged by rust and midge, so that there was a deficiency in 

 the crop; and there was "a small heap" of barley. Oats were 

 small in grain, and somewhat rusted. September was dry through- 

 out, to the great detriment of green crops. Gastric fever, bilious 

 diarrhoea, and disorder of the digestive organs prevailed ; but, strange 



