MR. A. W. PRESTON’S METEOROLOGICAL NOTES. 761 
flowers until the month’s close. Mean temperature was 
2° in excess of the average. 
November. 
This month was like a protraction of October, and was 
exceedingly mild and fine. It was difficult on some days to 
imagine that it was November, which is usually associated 
with fog, gloom, damp, and chilliness. Sunshine was as much 
as 23 hours in excess of the average, totalling 86 8 hours for 
the month, as against 34 hours only in the previous November. 
Mean temperature was 3'2° above the normal, and rose to 
above 50° on 22 days. Not until the 23rd was there sufficient 
frost to do any damage in the garden, and even the frost on 
that day, beyond destroying the dahlias and nasturtiums, did 
but little harm. Roses and many other flowers were in bloom 
throughout the month. There were beautiful “ afterglows ” 
on some evenings, that on the 29th being particularly fine, 
reminding one of the rosy evenings of November, 1883. 
December. 
The first snowstorm of the season occurred on the morning 
of the 5th, but temperature was very changeable throughout 
the month, mildness preponderating. There was a good deal 
of cloud, but very little downfall, the total rainfall of the 
month having been but ‘79 ins., constituting the driest 
December since 1890. The concluding days of the month 
were very winterly with frost and snow. The exposed 
thermometer fell to 16° on the night of the 30th. 
The Seasons. 
The following tables show the mean temperature and rainfall 
of the four seasons, together with those of the five previous 
years, compared with the usual averages- Winter comprises 
the three months December to February inclusive; Spring, 
March to May; Summer, June to August; and Autumn, 
September to November : — 
