Dr. Cantor on the Flora and Fauna of Chusan. 27 1 



ture and that of the four seasons. As the day however is not 

 far distant when China will be no longer a field of specula- 

 tion but one of research, it is preferable to await the sure 

 results of continued meteorological observations, although the 

 following few extremes may suffice to show the range of the 

 thermometer. The observations were made in the open air in 

 the shade. 



Highest. Lowest. 



July 86° 79° 



August 93 76 



September 100 71 



October 84 58 



On our first arrival in July the weather was very pleasant ; 

 the heat became oppressive towards the end of August, parti- 

 cularly at night, and remained so till the end of September, 

 when heavy and protracted showers of rain made their ap- 

 pearance and did not cease till the end of November. The 

 winter season commences in November, and I am informed 

 that snow fell in the end of December, and that the thermo- 

 meter sunk in January to 22°. 



These great vicissitudes in climate manifest themselves in the 

 absence of the brilliancy of the Indian flora and the frequent 

 occurrence of true European forms. The Indian forms are of 

 stunted growth, and many of them, such as the palms and the 

 plantain, which are cultivated, do not arrive at maturity. 

 Among the beauties of the wild flowers are a caerulean Com- 

 melina and Plumbago, Ipomaea ccerulea, a delicate lilac Aster, 

 Nelumbium, Oralis stricta, a white Clerodendron and a lilac 

 Lycium. In August ripe brambles and raspberries were found 

 on the sides of the hills. The strawberry, which is very plen- 

 tiful, was ripe in the commencement of August ; the fruit is 

 insipid, and by the Chinese fancied to be poisonous*. The 

 plant was again in flower (of a rich gamboge colour) in the 

 middle of September. 



The hop plant, which may almost be said to cover Chusan 

 and such of the surrounding islands as I had an opportunity 

 to visit, flowered in August, and was in fruit in September and 

 the commencement of October. When first I observed the 

 Humulus, I became anxious to ascertain if it might not origi- 

 nally have been introduced by the English during the time of 

 the Factory ; but the inquiries which Mr. Gutzlaff was kind 

 enough to make among the inhabitants, who, although it is 



* A Fragaria, probably the same, has been observed at Nagree, in Sik- 

 kim, by J. W. Grant, Esq. 



