the thermometer falling to 29°, and the sky clear.Westmorland Advertiser...

Meteor exhibiting a peculiar green colour. On the night of the 11th of February (1828), between 11 and 12 o'clock, as I was crossing the east river between this city (New York) and Long Island, I observed a beautiful meteor, which was visible for about two seconds. Its course was from a point perhaps 5o below the zenith, towards the horizon, in a north-eastern direction. It described an arc of perhaps 20°, when it apparently exploded, but without any report that I could hear. Its colour was a singularly pure grass green, of a light shade; the trail which it left was of the same colour, and so were the scintillations which accompanied its apparent explosion. The latter were distinct, like those which accompany the bursting of a rocket, but by no means so numerous. Two gentlemen who were in the boat with me at the same time also saw it.-Silliman's Journal.

Meteors seen in India. -Colonel Blacker has given the Asiatic Society an account of a singular meteor, having the appearance of an elongated ball of fire, which he observed at Calcutta, a little after sunset, when on the road between the court-house and the town hall. Its colour was pale, for the daylight was still strong, and its larger diameter appeared greater, and its smaller less, than the semi-diameter of the Moon. Its direction was from east to west, its tract nearly horizontal, and the altitude about 30 degrees. Colonel Blacker regrets not having heard of any other observation of this phenomenon at a greater distance, • whereby he might have estimated its absolute height. As, however, it did not apparently move with the velocity of ordinary meteors, it was probably at a greater distance, and consequently of great size. So long as Colonel Blacker beheld it, which was for five or six seconds, its motion was steady, its light equable, and its size and figure permanent. It latterly, however, left a train of sparks, soon after which it disappeared suddenly, without the attendant circumstance of any report audible in Colonel Blacker's situation. Colonel Blacker concludes his paper with some interesting observations on luminous meteors; and considers them of perpetual recurrence, although daylight, clouds, and misty weather so often exclude them from our view. Of their number no conception can be formed by the unassisted eye; but some conjecture may be formed of their extent from the fact mentioned by the author, that in using his astronomical telescope he has often seen what are called falling stars, shooting through the field of view, when they were not visible to the naked eye; and when it is considered that the glass only embraced one twentyfive thousandth part of the celestial hemisphere, it will be apparent that these phenomena must be infinitely numerous, to occur so frequently in so small a space.

Aurora Borealis, December 1827. - That beautiful appearance denominated the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Light, was lately visible at Carnarvon and Bangor, about two o'clock in the morning, when some persons arose and prepared to dress themselves, conceiving it to be dawn of day, from the brilliancy of the heavens in a north-west direction; but were speedily thrown into consternation, for the appearance of the hemisphere inclined them then to believe that an extensive conflagration was raging in the centre of the Island of Anglesea. At half past three the coruscations flashed upwards, passed one side of the pole, and, forming beautiful streaks or arches of lambent light, became so bright that the persons employed about the inns where the coaches usually stop, could see to read in the street the waybills and directions of packages without the aid of lamps or candles. The phenomenon continued till the dawn of morning.

We subjoin the following lines, which are adapted to this season of the year:

SUMMER MOON.

"Tis a bright summer's moon; along the shore
Float the white sea-mews rapturously; the grove,
Responsive to the small birds' song of love,
Is murmurous with sweet sound. But ah! no more
Come bright skies to me, as they came of yore,
When youth's Elysian cestus girdled all
The visible world, and every object bore
The trace of what Earth was before man's fall.
Yet pleasant is the green-sward, bright the day,
And musical hoar Ocean as he raves
With a majestic voice among his caves.
But Memory heedeth not: and far away
Turns to calm sunshine, sleeping on the graves
Of joys that perished in life's morning ray.

DELTA.

7910

The Naturalist's Diary

For AUGUST 1829.

In harvest time, when the abounding earth
Is full of solemn beauty, and the mirth
Of gleesome peasants seems to stay awhile
The fleeting grace of summer's radiant smile;
When Dryads from the silent woods look out,
To see the jocund rout,
Hearing loud laughs, and airy voices borne
From sunlit fields of thickly piled corn.

Howitt's Forest Minstrel.

The various kinds of grain are generally ripened in this month by the powerful influence of the solar ray; and as every month has its peculiar beauties, so August has its fields of waving corn, its groups of nut-brown reapers, and its cheerful HARVEST-HOME. -The rural ceremonies at this period, in England, as well as in foreign countries, have been noticed in our previous volumes; we will now add another sheaf to the harvest field, from the sunny clime of Portugal.

In this country, they celebrate the arrival of the last sheaf from the field in the following manner. It happened (says the author of 'Portugal Illustrated,') to be our host's celebration of harvest-home upon the evening of our arrival, and every room but our own was nearly filled with the large yellow and brown heads of the Indian corn. At night a noisy party of rustics assembled in the kitchen to dance and make libations to Ceres. In yielding to an entreaty that we wonld descend from our apartment and witness the festivities, we only exchanged one scene of filth for another-the latter being rather the more amusing of the twain. The life of the party had already begun to shine forth. An elderly inhabitant from a neighbouring village, whose dark features and large piercing eyes were shaded by the breadth of an enormous slouch hat, such as Murillo would put upon the heads of his peasants, the dark cloak being thrown aside, wearing black gaiters, and sandals of untanned leather, was ready on his legs, with castanets, inviting one from the fair throng to figure off with him to the monotonous tones of a bag-pipe, played upon by a Spaniard, the only wandering musicians allowed in Portugal being natives of Spain, whose appearance altogether was as rough and uncouth as the notes of his instrument were sorry and inharmonious. The scene was worthy

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the pencil of a 'Teniers or a Jan Steen. Bacalhao, rice, onions, and sardinhas fried in oil, formed the humble preparations for supper; and on one side of the room was extended a long table, at which some of the guests had already seated themselves, expectant of the more substantial part of the festivity. In a corner sat three of the hinds, eating out of the same wooden bowl a savoury olio, which betrayed no slight suspicion suspicion of garlic; and overhead were suspended Lamego hams, strings of onions, dried parcels of herbs and pumpkins, bladders, poles, guns, lamps, baskets, sheepskins, shoes and stockings of all ages, hues, and quality. The sound of the bagpipe had now attracted a crowd of spectators to the doors of the room, and therefore we took leave to sound an early retreat, and ascended aloft to enjoy the peculiar comforts in reserve for the travellers.

About the 11th of August, the puffin migrates; and soon afterwards the swift disappears, probably winging its way to more southern regions. Lapwings and linnets congregate, and the nuthatch chatters. Young broods of goldfinches are now seen.

Perched thou sip'st the dewy gem.towolt elstil

irisgolt Fickle bird, for ever roving, muriantep
UE TWO Endless changes ever loving