Rainfall for December. 



109 



what it is in central Europe, it is yet, betv^een the extremes of 50 degrees 

 (Scilly) and 59 degrees (Orkney), very much more than equivalent to one 

 zone in altitude. The result of this is necessarily a successive overlapping 

 of the zones as we proceed from south to north, the zone at sea-level 

 changing from the lowest limit (highest in temperature) of inferagrarian 

 at lat. 50 degrees, to lowest limit of mid-agrarian at 535 degrees, and to 

 super-agrarian at about 57 degrees. To express this in other words, we 

 may say that the altitudinal limit of the lowest zone decUnes from 900 

 feet above the sea at Scilly to sea-level at Lincoln ; whilst the upper limit 

 of the mid-agrarian zone, which is 900 feet above the sea in Derbyshire, 

 declines to sea-level in Forfarshire ; and the upper limit of the super- 

 agrarian zone, which begins at 900 feet, and terminates only at 1800 feet, 

 in Yorkshire and Westmoreland, dechnes to about 1000 feet in the Scotch 

 Highlands, and touches sea-level (almost) in Caithness, and (quite) in 

 Shetland. This digression may serve to explain to some readers of the 

 Naturalist a matter not understood by botanists so well as it ought to be, 

 and give an inkling why Luzula spicata may be found at 1000 feet in 

 Sutherland, and yet hardly a possible occurrence on Blake Fell (960 feet) 

 in Westmoreland, for be it noted that I do not for a moment suppose Dr. 

 White meant to advance the fact of its low descent in the Highlands as a 

 reason or argument for its descending so low in England. — F. Aenold 

 Lees, Jan. 4th. 



llainMI for ^mxahtx. 





Height 



of 

 gauge 



Rain- 

 faU, 



No. 



of 



Total Fall 

 TO Date. 



Date of 

 heaviest 



Amount 

 of 



heaviest 

 Fall. 





above 

 sea 

 leveL 



Days 



1878. 



1877. 



Fall. 



HUDDEKSFIELD (Dalton) ... 



(J. W. Eobson) 



Ft. 



350 



In. 



2-39 



13 



32-54 



* 33-57 



29 



0-70 t 



Leeds ... (H. Crowther) ... 



183 



1-41 



17 







20 



0-52 J 



Halifax... (F. G. S. Eawson) 



360 



2-71 



16 



45-44 



61-73 





... § 



Baenslet ... (T. Lister) ... 



350 



1-54 



16 



26-01 



34-31 



25 



0-41 



Ingeirchworth (do.) 



853 



1-80 



15 



38-47 



50-64 



31 



0-42 



Wentwoeth Castle (do.)... 



520 



2-12 



16 



28-23 



40-48 



28 



0-24 



GoOLE ... (H. F. Parsons) ... 



25 



1-52 



15 



24-01 



26-00 



25 



0-72 il 



* This is the average to date for 12 years, 1866-77. 

 t No. of wet days in 1878—176. Average ditto, 1866-77—189. 

 Amount of heaviest fail, 1878—0-82. Date of do. Aug. 4. 

 % This falling as snow=5-20in. 

 § Eainy days in 1878—169, Average of do. for 10 years, 47 "17. 



11 Melted snow. 



