GILPIN 



ON THE GASPEREAUX. 



107 



December — 2nd, snow bunting first seen on the common; 10th, 

 witch hazel in blossom. 



By the kindness of Judge Wilkins I have had an opportunity 

 of inspecting a register, in his possession, of observations, regularly 

 noted three times a day, of the temperature at Halifax during the 

 months of December and January in thi-ee successive years, from 

 December 1809 to January 1812. With the assistance of this 

 interesting document, I have been enabled to compare the mean 

 temperature of these winter months, upwards of fifty years ago, 

 with that of the same months in 1863, 1864, and 1865, and the 

 result is as follows : — 



Date. 



Mean temp. 



Date. 



Mean temp. 



Date. 



Mean temp. 



Dec. 1809 



33° 



1810 



27° 



1811 



36° 







1863 



26° 



1864 



27° 



Jany. 1810 



21° 



1811 



27° 



1812 



25° 



■" 1863 



30° 



1864 



23° 



1865 



22° 



This tends rather to invalidate the supposition, so generally 

 admitted, that the winters of the present time are milder than 

 those of former years : but it would be premature to form a decided 

 opinion upon this point without a more extended investigation, the 

 means for pursuing which may possibly yet be found. 



Art. XI. On the Gaspereaux. By J. Bernard Gilpin, 

 A. B., M. D., M. R. C. S. 



IRead April 6, 1865.] 



C Gasperot (Mons. Deny, 1675,) Gaspereau. 



Alosa Tyrannus } Spring herring Blue back. 



( Alewife Kiack. 



Should any one on a warm evening of the last of April or begin- 

 ning of May, stand at the mouth of any of our rocky streams, pouring 

 their snow-swollen torrents down to join the sea, he may see, as the 

 last of the flood tide sweeps up to meet their turbulent waters, on 

 every jutting point, on every isolated rock, a figui-e with a bag net 

 on the end of a ten or fifteen foot pole, casting his net again and 

 again, into every little pool or whirling eddy at his feet, and 

 returning it as often- filled with one, two, or more glittering fish. 



