is too fast or too slow; and it may, therefore, be regulated accordingly. TABLE Of the Equation of Time for every fifth Day. m. 8. .Feb. 1st, to the time by the dial add 13 54 Thursday, Tuesday,. 6th,.. Sunday, 11th,. 16th,. Wednesday, 21st, Monday, 26th,. 14 25 14 35 14 26 13 59 13 17 Moon's Passage over the Meridian. The following transits of the Moon will afford our readers good opportunities of observing her in that situation, should the weather prove favourable at the respective times, viz. Time of High Water at London for every fifth Day. The high tide at London Bridge will take place at the following times on every fifth day during the present month: for the intermediate days, and other places, the times must be found as already directed. E The illuminated phase of this beautiful planet is now very bright. The proportions are, Iluminated part 3.48645 February 1st, Dark part .... = 8.51355 It may, perhaps, be necessary to remind some of our young readers, that, on account of the distance of Venus from the Sun, varying so much, she is by no means the brightest in appearance when the illuminated phase is the greatest. By a reference to p. 51 of T. T. for 1819, it will be seen that Venus is the most brilliant when the breadth of her illuminated disk is 3.1908. She has, therefore, just passed that point at this time; and will appear very bright during this month, as well as much of the last. Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. The following eclipses of the first and second of these small bodies will be visible at the Royal Observatory this month, according to mean time. Conjunction of the Moon with the Planets and Stars. February 16th, with a in Virgo, at 7 in the morning in the morning, which will be an occultation. in Capricorn 10 in the morning. Other Phenomenon. Mercury will attain his superior conjunction at 9 in the morning of the 21st of this month. COMPARISON of THERMOMeters. As Thermometers with different scales are used for marking the temperature in different countries, and by different travellers and philosophers, and some of our readers may often be at a loss for the method of converting the numbers given by one into those corresponding to another; we shall insert the following Rules for the conversion of the degrees of Fahrenheit's, Reaumur's, and Celsius's thermometers, into each other respectively.-Note. Fahrenheit's thermometer is commonly used in England; Reaumur's, in France; and Celsius's in Sweden. De Humboldt, in his Travels, makes use of the latter; but prefixed to his first volume there is a table, in which the degrees of Celsius's thermometer are converted into those of Fahrenheit. Reaumur's thermometer has the freezing point at 0, and the boiling point is 80°. Celsius has the freezing point at 0, and the boiling point at 100°. 1. To convert the degrees of Reaumur into those of Fahrenheit, 2. To convert the degrees of Fahrenheit into those of Reaumur, 3. To convert the Swedish degrees into those of Fahrenheit, SX9 +32=F. 5 4. To convert Fahrenheit's into Swedish, (F-32) ×5 =S. 5. To convert Swedish degrees into those of Reaumur, SX4 =R. 6. To convert Reaumur's degrees into Swedish, Rx5 To such readers as are unacquainted with the algebraic expression of arithmetical formulæ, it will be sufficient to express one or two of these in words, to explain their use. Multiply the degree of Reaumur by 9, divide the product by 4, and to the quotient add 32, the sum expresses the degree on the scale of Fahrenheit.2. From the degrees of Fahrenheit subtract 32, multiply the remainder by 4, and divide the product by 9, the quotient is the degrees according to the scale of Reaumur.-Encyclopædia Britannica. See also the Introduction to Myers's Geography, page ccxx, for a fuller explanation of this subject. Note. R, signifies the degrees on the scale of Reaumur; F, those of Fahrenheit; and S, those of the Swedish thermometer. The Naturalist's Diary For FEBRUARY 1827. Now winter robes with pure snow, and crowns THE weather, which is sometimes very severe throughout the month of February, is more often alternately cold and mild. In our variable climate, we one day experience all the rigidity of winter, and a genial warmth prevails the next; and indeed such changes are not unfrequently felt in the same day. If the season be mild, a walk in the garden will discover to us many pleasing objects; among these, the botanist and the admirer of Nature's beauties will not consider the snowdrop and the crocus beneath his passing notice. The CROCUS. Dainty young thing Of life!-thou vent'rous flower, Who growest through the hard, cold bower Thou various-hued, Soft, voiceless bell, whose spire Like Patience, thou Art quiet in thy earth, Instructing Hope that Virtue's birth Thy fancied bride! The delicate Snowdrop, keeps Her home with thee; she wakes and sleeps Will Man but hear! A simple flower can tell What beauties in his mind should dwell Through Passion's sphere. J. R. PRIOR'. Towards the end of the month, in mild weather, the bloom-buds of the fruit-trees may be seen to swell every day. The laurustinus is still in blossom, and so is the China-rose. The buds of the lilac-tree are very forward. The green-house is an object of attraction in this month. About the beginning of the month, the woodlark, one of our earliest and sweetest songsters, renews his note. The thrush now commences his song, and tom-tits are seen hanging on the eaves of barns and thatched out-houses, particularly if the weather be snowy and severe. The yellow-hammer and chaffinch are heard towards the end of the month. The Ringdove.-The Rev. Mr. Jenyns, in a very interesting paper on the Ornithology of Cambridgeshire,' published in the Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society,' observes, that these birds are exceedingly abundant in Cambridgeshire, Hone's Every Day Book, vol. i, p. 144. |