280 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



minute beings are not frozen is a matter of curious 

 inquiry. 



Severe frosts seem to be partial, or to run in currents ; 

 for, at the same juncture, as the author was informed by 

 accurate correspondents, at Lyndon, in the county of 

 Rutland, the thermometer stood at 19 : at Blackburn, in 

 Lancashire, at 19 : and at Manchester at 21, 20, and 18. 

 Thus does some unknown circumstance strangely over- 

 balance latitude, and render the cold sometimes much 

 ^eater in the southern than in the northern parts of this 

 ikingdom. 



The consequences of this severity were, that in Hamp- 

 shire, at the melting of the snow, the wheat looked well, 

 and the turnips came forth little injured. The laurels 

 and laurustines were somewhat damaged, but only in hot 

 aspects. No evergreens were quite destroyed ; and not 

 ■half the damage sustained that befell in January, 1768. 

 Those laurels that were a little scorched on the south- 

 ■sides were perfectly untouched on their north-sides. The 

 care taken to shake the snow day by day from the 

 ibranches seemed greatly to avail the author's evergreens. 

 -A neighbour's laurel-hedge, in a high situation, and 

 facing to the north, was perfectly green and vigorous ; 

 ^nd the Portugal laurels remained unhurt. 



As to the birds, the thrushes and blackbirds v.'er^ 

 imostly destroyed ; and the partridges, by the weather 

 and poachers, were so thinned that few remained to breed 

 '.the following year. 



