460 The Anomalous Season . [July, 
submit, show that migratory birds do not hasten or delay 
the time of leaving their winter-station by reason of any 
mysterious knowledge of the weather prevailing in the 
country whither they are bound. Among insedts Gonopteryx 
Rhamni, Vanessa Urticce , and F. Io were seen as early as 
March 7th, their respective average times, according to 
Jenyns, being March 10th, 27th, and 31st. Euchloe carda- 
mines appeared this year on June 5th — nearly a month 
behind its average time. Callidium violaceum was seen this 
year exactly at the same time as in the two previous seasons. 
Aphides have already descended in swarms upon fruit-trees, 
and are committing serious damages. Hence we may argue 
that long and severe winters have little direct influence upon 
insect life, and that there is consequently little hope of frost 
ridding us of noxious species. Not a few countries whose 
winter temperature is far below our own are much richer 
both in insect species and individuals than in England. 
If we next look to the intervals between the five excep- 
tionally bad seasons we have mentioned, we find them 
separated respectively by 10, 6, 10, and 8 years. If we 
reject the claims of 1870-71 we have, of course, instead of 
the two last mentioned, a single space of 18 years. Before 
attempting any comment upon these figures it may be use- 
ful to turn to the exceptionally fine seasons. As a starting- 
point we may take 1868 as utterly unquestionable in its 
character. It was preceded by a winter milder and shorter 
than the average. The equatorial current early got and 
maintained the upper hand. March was milder than an 
ordinary May, and the middle of July brought a splendid 
wheat-harvest. In October wet weather set in, but un- 
attended with cold. Christmas-day was warm and genial, 
with primroses and violets in bloom. The winter was not 
marked by either severe, lasting, or often-repeated cold. 
The two following summers and the intervening winter, 
though inferior to the splendid season of 1868, were, to 
speak in the most guarded manner, a very fair average. 
Since then no summer of an exceptionally fine character 
has occurred, so that we have the whole period between 
1870-71 and 1878-79 without an intervening season of 
heat. 
Turning to the past, if we wish to find another year 
similar to 1868 we must go back forty-three years, to 1825, 
when the wheat-harvest also fell in July. Still there have 
been in the meantime seasons very much superior to any- 
thing experienced since 1869. Thus the summer of 1857 
