1809.} Meteorological Report. 31 9 
Daffodils and primroses are in flower, The blackbirds and thrushes sing. Partridges begin 
to pair: 
Pi turtle, weighing fourteen pounds and a half, wasseen floating in the sea, near the rocks of 
Christchurch head, by a man who succeeded in getting it out. The animal was purchased by 
the keeper of the hotel at Christchurch; and a party of gentlemen had a dinner on the occasi- 
on. I am inclined to suppose, that this turtle, which was of the species festudo mydas of Lin- 
nzus, had been drifted by the late storms fromsome distant sea to our shores; and not, assome 
persons believed, that it had been washed overboard from some West-India ship. it wasofa 
size too small to be of any value for sale; and it is known that on various parts of the south- 
‘western coasts pakeances turtles of the present species, have not unfrequently been } Known to 
approach the shores. 
February 20. The bear’s foot AG selleborys foctidus), od gooseberry and currant trees, are in 
flower. The leayesof the weeping- willow. appear. 
The yellow-hammer and wood-lark sing. The green wood-pecker begins to male its harsh 
scream, 
February 21... This, on the whole, wasa fine day. I found on-the sea beach a carp, weigh- 
ing about half a pound, which had been cast ashore by the tide. It had burst in spawning; and 
had been carried by the fresh-water floods into the sea. Jt was still alive. 
February 25, Avery large kind of common gnats (cu/ex pipiens) which bite very severely 
are flying about in small numbers, in houses, and other buildings. 
February 27. In the evening there was one of the most beautiful halos round the moon a that 
I ever beheld. Thc prismatic colours were peculiarly bright. I of course expected that bad 
weather would follow, but this was not the case. 
February 28, was, in almost every respect, a complete spring day. Gossamer floated in 
the air in considerable quantity. The larks, blackbirds, and thrushes were singing in almost 
as great numbers as in the middle of summer. Three kinds of butterflies were flying about, 
viz. The large white cabbage butterfly (papilio brassice), the peacock butterfly ( papilio io) 
and nettle butterfly (papiliourtice). Several of the spring scaralei were likewise flying about 
the roads and the dusty places. The woodbine, elder, lilacs and bramble, are all putting fortn 
their leaves; and on a few branches of hawthorn, I remarked that the leaf-buds were turning 
green. The sweet-scented ‘violets are in flower in gardens ; and the flowers of the pilewort (ra- 
nunculus ficarig) now cover almost every sunny bank, 
lampsbire. 
~ METEOROLOGICAL REPORT. ‘ 
Observalions on the State of the Weather, from the 24th of February, to the 24th 
of March, 1809, inclusive, Four Miles N.N.W. of St. Paul's. 
Barometer. Thermometer. 
Highest, 30.1. March 8.. Wind digheft, 58. March 22.23. Wind 
Lowest, 29.25. March 24. Wind Lowest, SU, March 6 and 11. Wind. 
Between the mid- On the 21st, the 
ij dle of the day of ? highest at which the 
Greatest sagt oe the 23d, and the Greateft 10°. thermometer stood, 
aT dredths /— variation in ° 
variation in of an inch \\ S2™e hour onthe was 48°, but on the 
¢4 hours nem 24th, the mercury 24 hours. 22d, it was as high as 
fell from 29.64, to 58°. 
29.30. 
Only on three days since our last report, has there been any rain, and on these a very trifling 
quantity, we shall accordingly defer our report of it till che next month. 
The mean height of the thermometer, notwithstanding several warm days, is less thanit was 
for the last month. For the present it is 429.536. That of the barometer is much higher, be- 
ing last month something less than 29.3 inches, and the present 29.886: the last was accor- 
dingly a very wet month, this has been a remarkably dry one The barometer has in several in- 
stances risen and fallen for two or three days together, without any change with regard torain. 
From the 21st, to this day, (25th) it has gradually fallen, and we have had during the last 
night, several hours of very gentle rain, of which the gardens seem to have stood in need. More 
may probably be looked for: since it is a maxim Hieh: all observers of the weather, *¢ In fair 
weather, whea the mercury falls low, and continues to full] for three or four days before the 
rain comes on, then much wet may be expected.” : 
The wind. nee been variable, blowing about 14 or 15 days from the easterly points; and about 
as many days may be reckoned very brilliant; the remainder have been pretty equally divided 
between what are denominated fair and cloudy, adits sls the three in which there was some 
yall. fag ae 4.4 , 
2 . Sey astropent: 7 y 
