METEOROLOGICAL NOTES.-NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 173 
METEOROLOGICAL NOTES.— April, 1885. 
The barometer was rising at the commencement of the month, but 
fell from the 3rd to the 6th, and thence rose gradually to the 19tli, 
when it reached its highest point, 30-328 inches; it again fell rather 
rapidly to the 26th, and continued unsteady. Temperature was low 
until the 17th, when the maximum was 64-7°, as against 43-9° the 
previous day. The mean was about one degree below the average. 
The highest readings were 7T5° on the 19th and 7T4° on the 21st at 
Loughborough ; 71T° at Hodsock, on the 21st; 70-0° at Henley-in- 
Arden, on the 19th ; 69'9° at Coston Rectory, and 69 - 8° at Strellev, on 
the 21st. These maxima are unusually high for the month of April. 
In the rays of the sun, 126-7° was recorded at Hodsock and 123-9° at 
Loughborough, on the 21st; 123 - 6° at Strelley, on the 20th. The mini¬ 
mum readings were lower than usual: 20*7° at Hodsock and 22-0° at 
Coston Rectory, on the 14th ; 23-0° at Henley-in-Arden and 23-6° at 
Loughborough, on the 5th ; 27*0° at Strelley, on the 4tli and 5th. On the 
grass, 15-0° at Hodsock, on the 4th ; 17*5° at Loughborough, on the 
5th ; 17 - 7° at Strelley, on the 2nd. Rainfall was rather above the 
average, the totals varying from 1-94 to 1-47 inches, and the number 
of “ rainy days” from 16 to 13. The greatest fall was 056 inch, 
which was the value at Loughborough and Henley-in-Arden on the 1st. 
Sunshine was about the average. The wind was moderate in force 
and of variable direction. A lunar halo was observed at Loughborough 
on the evening of the 27th. The cuckoo was heard at the close of the 
month. Swallows were seen at Henley-in-Arden on the 17th. 
12, Victoria Street, Loughborough. Wm. Bebridge, F.R. Met. Soc. 
The Flora of the Lake District.— -We are pleased to be able to 
announce that Messrs. Bell and Co. have just published “ A Flora of 
the English Lake District,” by J. G. Baker, F.R.S., F.L.S. This very 
excellent work contains a record of about fifty ferns and 850 flowering 
plants, native of the Lake district; together with about 100 recent 
additions, and valuable introductory matter relative to citizenship, the 
range and the type of distribution of the plants enumerated. There 
is also a truly interesting Bibliography of the Lakeland district. The 
eminent position as a botanist enjoyed by the author of this Flora 
ensures its being an able and correct record of the botanical wealth of 
one of the most classic and romantic districts in England, and will 
ensure for it a wide circulation among all who are interested in the 
study of British botany. 
Sparrows versus Starlings.— The impudence of sparrows is 
proverbial, but I do not remember to have noticed until lately 
sparrows attending upon starlings that were collecting worms to 
feed their young and when opportunity occurred seizing hold of the 
worms and pulling them out of their beaks. It looked very ridiculous 
to see a starling waddling along with its insecure gait, poking its 
long bill here and there into the grass, and now and then a struggle 
for the spoils. In one instance I noticed five sparrows following, and 
the starling was fairly driven away. Sparrows peck away on the 
♦lawn incessantly, but I was not aware that,they eat worms, as they do 
not pull them up as robins do. I remember that some years ago there 
was a controversy in the “ Zoologist ” as to whether starlings poked 
their open beaks into the turf ; I agreed with my relative, the late 
Edward Newman, that they did, and do not see any reason to change 
