ON THE TIMBER LINE OF HIGH MOUNTAINS. 56&- 



of the old saying had to call it a " draw" that season, for the day was really a 

 rather complex one, or a mean between the " white and green." 



The character of the next Christmas was undoubtedly "green" and the 

 succeecling winter decidedly open. The same day one year later, 1876, was 

 literally " white," as snow fell both on the eve and day of the gladsome festival. 

 A temperature prevailed during December and January of that season that was 

 decidedly winterish and at times frigorific. The next annual cycle brought a re- 

 turn of a "Green Christmas," and there ensued a remarkably open winter, the 

 lowest temperature observed that solstice was 6° being on January 6th. 



In 1878 the winter began early in December, of that year, and continued to 

 increase in severity, and on the 2d of January, following, the minimum fell to 12°' 

 below zero, and for the subsequent five days ranged at from 7° to — 12.5°. With 

 the exception of the 15th, the temperature remained continually below the freez- 

 ing point from the 13th of December, at which time a snow-fall of eighteen inches 

 occurred, until the 20th of the following month. We need hardly add that the 

 Christmas of 1878 was decidedly a "white one" and the accruing winter long 

 and severe. The recurrence of the next Christian festival showed a light-tint of 

 snow, which fell on the 23rd, and was followed by a sharp, but short, cold spell 

 that lasted until the 25th: that was all the winter-weather had for that season, and 

 the Christmas, though not absolutely "white," was, certainly, not one conducive 

 to verdure, for the minimum recorded — 8°, on the eve of the day. The weather 

 attending the Christmas of 1880, is too fresh in the minds of our readers to need 

 details, further than to simply remark that while the preceding day was not as 

 cold as those of the former one, it wasn't green, " not at all," for the temperature 

 stood almost without exception at, and at times, considerably below 32°, from 

 early in December until the near approach of the vernal equinox. 



It would be almost superfluous to say that the Christmas just passed has been 

 the " greenest" known to the oldest inhabitants, for such it really has been. By 

 a comparison of the foregoing it will be seen that there has been a remarkable 

 coincidence in the succession of open weather after a " Green Christmas :" wheth- 

 er the present winter will be anomalous or not remains for the future to determine. 

 With the present meagre meteorological data, we could not venture to say what 

 the outcome will be, for such would be mere conjecture or guess-work, and conse- 

 quently not within the domain of science. 



ON THE TIMBER LINE OF HIGH MOUNTAINS. 



BY THOS. MEEHAN. 



Mr. Meehan remarked that on the tops of most high mountains we find a 

 total absence of ligneous plants. The highest alpine vegetation consists for the- 

 most part of acaulescent perennials. Lower down we may find some woody 

 species, and often we come to dwarfed forms of trees of species, which, stil 1 



