and the wind soon changes by S.E. to E., and N.E., with a return of frost for perhaps a week or ten days longer. On these occasions the trees are beautifully decked with rime, and present a splendid appearance when dazzling in the solar rays of the early morning. Snow seldom falls to any great depth in this neighbourhood, and the month sometimes passes away without its appearance. The greatest usual depth is four or five inches. Much heavier falls occur along the borders of Kent and Sussex, as well as on the southern side of the Surrey hills. In our very uncertain climate we occasionally find that great mildness prevails during the month, when the fall of rain is, almost invariably, above the average. This was especially the case in the years 1846, 1851, 1853, and 1866. In 1846 and 1866 the weather was often too warm to bear fires with comfort. Very strong S.W. winds are frequent in such a season, which increase to a hurricane if long continued, and occasion great depression of the barometer.

February.

"From sunward rocks the icicle's faint drop
By lonely river side is heard at times

To break the silence deep, for now the stream

Is mute, or faintly gurgles far below
Its frozen ceiling. Silent stands the mill,
The wheel immoveable and shod with ice.
The babbling rivulet at each little slope
Flows scantily beneath a lucid veil,
And seems a pearly current liquefied;
While at the shelvy side in thousand shapes
Fantastical the frostwork domes uprear
Their tiny fabrics, gorgeously superb
With ornaments beyond the reach of art.
Here vestibules of state and colonnades,
There gothic castles, grottoes, heather fanes,
Rise in review and quickly disappear;
Or through some fairy palace fancy roves,

And studs with ruby lamps the fretted roof,

Or paints with every colour of the bow

Spotless parterres, all freaked with snow-white flowers-
Flowers that no archetype in nature own;

Or spreads the spiky crystals into fields

Of bearded grain, rustling in autumn breeze."

GRAHAME.

This is the last month of winter, and extremely variable in its character. There is an old proverb—

"February fill dyke, be it black or be it white,

But if it be white it's the better to like."

Our more recent observations, however, set aside the old proverb, as February is the driest month in the year so far as Sussex is concerned. Its mean temperature is not quite one degree higher than that of January, while the fall of rain scarcely exceeds an inch and a half. In severe seasons the frosts of January continue or return with great intensity, while in several years the greatest cold has been recorded during the second week. It proved a particularly cold month in the years 1845, 1847, 1855, and 1860. On two of these occasions its mean temperature was below the freezing point. Snow falls occasionally, with strong N.E. winds, but it seldom remains long upon the ground. It was a very mild month in the years 1849, 1856, 1867, and 1869. The latter instance was the mildest on record, and still remains fresh in our memory. The prevalent clouds are the cirrus, and occasionally the cirro-cumulus, in addition to those which are usually observed during the previous month. During frost the appearance of the cirro-cumulus cloud, at a great elevation, almost invariably indicates a considerable rise of temperature in the course of a few hours. The latter part of the month is often very dry, and Kirwan has said that he never knew a long drought but when it manifested itself at the end of this month and beginning of March. The sun now acquires considerable influence upon vegetation, and some of our earliest spring flowers come into bloom towards the last week.

March.

"Now when a few fine days have made the land
For working fit, take thou the plough in hand;
And if the weather should continue fair
Keep on with sowing oats and barley there.
Nor this thy work defer, like some, until

The showers of April help the ditch to fill.

$

A bushel of March dust is worth, they say,
A sovereign's ransom or a stack of hay.

Now sow your garden seeds, now nail the trees,
When the warm sun at first brings out the bees,
For they, by instinct strange, appear to see
What sort of weather is about to be.

Trust them, and imitate their industry.

OLD POEM.

The chief meteorological feature of this month is the prevalence of boisterous weather, and severe gales during the second or third week, just antecedent to the vernal equinox. As a consequence of this violent disturbance of the atmosphere, the mean height of the barometer is lower than at any other season of the year. Although these gales come on from S.W., yet we sometimes have a strong current from N.E. set in, which, when it lasts many days, induces a great evaporation from the soil. "March dust is worth a king's ransom" is an old proverb, and another is, “A dry and cold March never begs its bread,” meaning that in such a season the ground is in a good state for the reception of the seed. Again, they used to say that "March flowers never made summer bowers," for the buds and blossoms are so pinched by late frosts that they never come to maturity.

Should the N.E. wind not set in till April, March is frequently a wet month, with the wind frequently veering between N.W. and S.W. As to the terrors of March winds, to which many persons in health are so fearful of exposing themselves, we may as well remember that "the oftener we meet it firmly the less it will shake us, and the more smiles we shall have from the fair months that follow."

March was a very cold month in the years 1845, 1855, and 1865, especially in 1845, which was the coldest March on record, and its mean temperature was more than 3° less than the average temperature for January. On the 14th of that month the temperature fell to twelve degrees at Uckfield, while in the eastern counties it fell to 5o. Heavy snow storms occurred frequently, which rendered this month a complete winter in itself.

It was a mild month in the years 1848, 1854, 1859, and 1862, and very wet in the years 1851, 1862, and 1864. In some years great warmth characterises the last week, and the temperature

will occasionally rise to 70° and upwards in the shade. Upon the whole, however, vegetation makes very little progress, as any premature warmth is quickly succeeded by frosty nights and cold, biting winds.

"Now winter, lingering on the verge of spring,

Retires reluctant, and from time to time
Looks back; while at his keen and chilling breath
Fair Flora sickens."

April.

"The gorse is yellow on the heath,

The banks with speedwell flowers are gay,

The oaks are budding, and beneath
The hawthorn soon will bear the wreath,
The silver wreath of May.

The welcome guest of settled spring,

The swallow, too, is come at last,
Just at sunset, when thrushes sing,
I saw her dash with rapid wing,

And hailed her as she passed.
Come, summer visitant, attach

To my old roof your nest of clay,
And let my ear your music catch
Low twittering beneath the thatch,

At the green dawn of day."

SMITH.

There is, perhaps, no month in the year wherein we are exposed to so great and sudden fluctuations of temperature as in April. The increasing power of the sun's rays and frequent easterly winds cause excessive evaporation. Some days may be warm, and the temperature will rise to 80° and upwards, while on the other hand days of wintry rigour are experienced, with heavy showers of hail or snow; indeed, it frequently happens that rain, hail, snow, and sunshine follow each other in the course of a few hours. In April, 1849, a heavy fall of snow was followed by such a severe frost that all the garden fruits were destroyed. On several occasions in April, 1843, the temperature fell 8°, and on the 11th to 12° below the freezing point. On April 9th, 1845, the maximum temperature in the shade was only 37°, while on the 23rd it was 74°, so fickle is our climate!

It was a very cold month in the years 1847, 1849, 1860, and 1861; and a very mild one in the years 1844, 1854, and 1865. In the latter instance the sudden warmth after the cold weather of March was very remarkable. It has very seldom proved a wet month, but in the years 1848, 1849, and 1856, the fall of rain was considerably above the average. Towards the close of the month, whatever may have been the general character of the weather, we find a large number of our spring flowers in full bloom. During the third week the wryneck, cuckoo, nightingale, swallow, redstart, willow wren, and various other migratory birds return to us. The marten and swift arrive later.

May.

"Stay, quoth my muse, and here behold a sign
Of harmless mirth and honest neighbourhood,
Where all the parish did in one combine

To mount the rod of peace, and none withstood;
Where no capricious constables disturb them,
Nor justice of the peace did seek to curb them,
Nor peevish Puritan in railing sort,
Nor over-wise churchwarden spoil the sport.
Happy the age, and harmless were the days,
For then true love and amity were found,
When every village did a Maypole raise,

And Whitsun ales and May games did abound,
And lusty youngsters in a rout,

With merry lasses danced the rod about;

Then friendship to their banquets bid the guests,
And poor men fared the better for their feasts."

PASQUIL.

The genial character of this month is usually evinced by a great increase of warmth and sunshine, while the still increasing power of the sun's rays manifests itself by the rapid advance of vegetation. The leafing season is now general, and is completed, for the most part, by the close of the month, with the exception of the mulberry, whose foliage is seldom much advanced before the first week in June. The beauty of natural scenery becomes most attractive, and is much enhanced by the splendid varieties