Browne — Fauna and Flora of Valencia Harbour^ Ireland. 675 



The maximum summer temperatiu'e has not exceeded 61° F. The 

 minimum winter reading was 44°-5 F. in the winter of 1896-7, but in 

 the following winter 47°" 5 was the lowest reading. 



Climate. — From 1867 to 1892 Valencia Island was honoiu-ed with 

 a first-class Meteorological Station, which now stands on the adjacent 

 mainland. Mr. J. E. CuUum has been the Director of this important 

 Observatory almost since its foundation, and has recently published a 

 useful paper on the " Climatology of Valencia Island, County Kerry" 

 (Quart. Journ. Roy. Meteor. Soc, vol. xxii., 1896), from which I take 

 a few abstracts. 



Air-Temperature. — The island enjoys a very equable climate, 

 suffering neither from frosty winters nor hot summers. Mr. Cullum, 

 in his remarks on a table showing the mean monthly air-temperatures 

 for a period of twenty-three years (1869-91), states: — "The first 

 three months (of the year) exhibit a striking uniformity in the mean 

 temperature (Jan. 45°-2, Feb. 45°-3 Mar. 45°-4), a featui-e which 

 extends back to December. A rise of 2°"7 occurs between March and 

 April, and the curve continues to ascend briskly for the next two 

 months (May. 52°*1, June, 56°-6). The rise then slackens, and the 

 actual maximum of the monthly mean temperatures, 59*2, appears in 

 August. The descent is more uniform, and more rapid than the 

 ascent has been, as in the space of four months the lowest point is again 

 reached, in December, with a mean temperatm-e of 45°." 



"It is somewhat remarkable that there are no clearly marked 

 periods of either spring or autumn. Throughout the four months of 

 winter the total change of mean monthly temperatui'e does not exceed 

 0'6, while no approach to such uniformity is noticeable at any other 

 season. The maximum in August coincides with the known maximum 

 in sea-surface temperatiu'e of the same month ; but there is no corre- 

 sponding coincidence of a minimum of air-temperature in February, 

 when the sea-stu-face is at its coldest." 



Sunshine. — " The mean annual amount (1881-1890) is 33-8 per 

 ■cent., corresponding to 1486-5 hours of sunshine. The year commenced 

 with a percentage of 21*9 in January, rising to a maximum of 43-3 in 

 May. The figui-e then sinks to 31-7 in Jiily, but rises to a second 

 maximum of 35*9 in August; when this is past, the figures show a 

 gradual decrease, until the minimum of 19-3 appears in December." 



" In considering the individual months, we find that there is but 

 little difference between April, May, and June, the respective nv 'abers 

 being 40-9, 43-3, 39-9." 



