THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
10 
o 
O 
With reference to the temperature, records show 
that the thermometer has a smaller range in 
Malta than in any other place in or around the 
Mediterranean. 
From the summary of observations which is 
i published every month by the Jesuit Fathers at 
! Malta, it will be seen that the annual average 
temperature of the island is 64^° Fall., and the 
following diagram will show how very little it 
varies from year to year. 
80! 
75° 
70! 
es° 
60! 
55? 
5fi! 
45? 
40! 
r 
1 
I Jan. 
Fab. 
Mar. 
April 
May 
H — — 
June | July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec.! 
1 
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✓ 
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• -J - 
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Jan. 
Feb, 
I Mar. 
i 
April 
May 
June 
. 
July 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 
a. Range of Temperature at Meats,. 
b. Rang-.' Temperature at Gov: iw ich. 
The significance of these calculations is the 
more clearly seen when we remember that the 
average adopted mean temperature at Greenwich 
is 49° Fah. By comparison, therefore, with the 
temperatare of Greenwich, that of Malta would 
prima-facie appear to be but 15l° warmer, but this 
does not in the least represent the important dif- 
ferences that really exist. 
In order that the relative average tempera- 
tures m the two countries may be compared, it 
is necessary to take the various seasons seriatim. 
The following tabular statement will indicate 
more exactly the real extent of the variations. 
G rcen wich Mai ta 
Spring, (March, April ar.d May) 40.9° 90.8° 
Summer, (June, July and August) 60.0° 72.6° 
Autumn,’ (Sept., Oct. and Nov.) 49.9° 08.4° 
Winter, (Dec., Jan. and Feb.) 38.2° 54.4' 
By means of these data it will be seen that the 
Winter and Spring seasons in the Maltese Islands 
correspond to the English summer; while the 
temperature of the Maltese Summer and Autumn 
is but approximately 12° in excess of that of F.n- 
gland. But it is not so much by the actual mean 
height of the thermometer, as by its range, that 
the climate of the Maltese Islands should be 
judged. 
In England, this range is often very great espe- 
cially during the Winter, Spring and Autumn 
months, for then, days that have been warm, are 
often succeded by evenings that are very chilly, 
and even frosty. In Malta such ranges of tempe- 
rature as these are unknown at any time of the 
year; and the climate is therefore more tquable 
and less liable to injuriously affect either animal 
or plant life. The thermometer indicates through- 
out the year a gradual rise and a gradual fall. 
The extent of its variations will be understood by 
referring to the following table which shows the 
mean daily range for every month of the year, 
contrasted with the temperature it the same time 
at Greenwich, 
