PH ECOLOGICAL PHENOMENA IN 1889 AND 1890. 
115 
In the following remarks on the phenology of the two years, I 
refer, as before, to the dates of flowering of the 60 species of plants, 
most of which have been observed every year during our period, 
which now embraces fifteen years, while none have been overlooked 
for more than two years. The ivy, which is also mentioned, is not 
one of these. Every plant on the list of the Royal Meteorological 
Society was observed in 1889 and 1890. 
The number of species to be observed has now been greatly 
reduced, and it is hoped that one result of this will be a large 
accession of observers. The new list is given by Mr. Mawley in 
the following paper. 
Phenology of 1889. 
The year 1889 was on the whole an average year. Although 
vegetation was backward in the spring, it was forward in the 
summer, and on the average half a day (0’6) early. Of the 60 
selected species, 25 came into flower later than the mean of 1876-88, 
34 earlier, and 1 on the same day as the mean. 
Of the 30 species which come into flower before the middle of 
May (our spring flowers), 20 appeared after the mean date and 10 
before it; and of the 30 which come into flower after the middle 
of May (our summer flowers), 5 appeared after the mean date, 24 
before it, and 1 on the same day as the mean. The spring flowers 
were on the average four days (3-9) late, and the summer flowers 
five days (5*1) early. 
Dividing the period of observation into three, the average date of 
the first 20 species flowering up to the third week in April is 5’3 
days late; of the next 20 flowering up to the end of May, 1*2 early ; 
and of the last 20 flowering up to the end of July, 5*9 early. 
Thus vegetation was backward only in the early spring, rather 
forward towards the end of spring, and half a day more forward in 
summer than it was backward in spring. 
Taking each 10 species in succession, the second group is seen to 
be very late and the last very early, the third shows very little 
deviation from the mean, while the fourth and fifth are about as 
early as the first is late. The average for Eebruary is 3 - 3 days 
late; for March 7*3 late; for April 1*1 late; for May 3'5 days 
early; for June 3*3 early ; and for July 8‘5 early. 
The first four months in the year were cold, Eebruary especially 
so, thus accounting for the lateness of vegetation in March. May 
and June were warm, the temperature in May being almost as 
much above the average as it was below the average in Eebruary; 
thus, although at the end of April, as our Harpenden observer says, 
the season was backward, in May “ the wild flowers had more than 
retrieved their backward condition.” The warm weather in May 
does not, however, seem to have produced its full effect on vegetation 
until about the middle of June. At Harpenden “ the first wheat- 
ear was observed fully out of its sheath on the 13th of June.” 
Although July, August, and September were cold and humid, 
the ivy came into flower rather earlier than usual. 
