the Moon's transits during the present month, will find the following times favourable, should the atmosphere be clear at the respective periods. October 7th, at 37 m. after 5 in the evening 8th, 33 Time of High Water at London for every fifth Day. By adding the quantities given in the Occurrences for January to those in the following table, or subtracting them, as there directed, the times of full tide at numerous other places will be obtained. Those for the intermediate days may be found by proportion. During the bright evenings of the present month this planet will be a conspicuous and beautiful object amidst the starry scene. The parts of her disk now are, 6.617 = 5.383 October 1st, {Enlightened part = Dark part Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. Jupiter is still so near the Sun, that only one of these eclipses will be visible this month, which is an immersion of the first satellite, that takes place at 22 m. 52 s. after 5 in the morning of the 22d. Form of Saturn's Ring. The opening of this ring still continues large, and at present is, Conjunction of the Moon with the Planets and Stars. Venus will at Mercury will be in his superior conjunction at midnight of the 12th of this month. tain her greatest elongation on the 13th. Georgium Sidus will be in quadrature at 45 m. after 2 in the morning of the 14th; and Saturn will be stationary on the 18th. The Sun and Moon are not only the most conspicuous objects in the firmament of heaven, and those which have been most frequently made the objects of religious adoration, but have also afforded the most constant themes of the poet. These are subjects too, which, when touched by the finger of genius, never fail to delight; and even when contemplated through the medium of sensibility, always please. ODE to the RISING SUN. [From the German.] Hail, orient Sun, auspicious light, Lo! from behind the wood-crowned height Behold it sparkle in the stream, Mingle with thine its brilliancy! Soft Sleep, and all his airy crew, Their sport o'er Chloe peacefully! And, hov'ring round her fragrant bed, And scent her tresses pleasingly! Then gently whisper in her ear, O fairest orb of heav'nly light, When you your silver beams deny, When thou art hence, the night-owl screams; But when, fair Moon, you roll on high, Oh, come then with thy clouds of snow, ANON. Till, piercing through the deeper night REV. J. H. POTT. The Naturalist's Diary For OCTOBER 1826. Ye gentle birds, that perch aloof, Ere Winter's angry threats commence; May GOD, by whom is seen and heard And guide us to the land unknown! HAYLEY. At the beginning of this month, or latter end of September, some summer birds of passage, of which the swallow is the first, take their departure for warmer regions. The time of their leaving this country varies in different seasons; it is sometimes protracted till the end of October or the beginning of November, and swallows have been seen, in mild weather, to congregate, previously to taking their departure, so late as the middle of December. A great diversity of opinion has existed respecting the torpidity and migration of this bird: it is an established fact, that, although the greater part of the swallows that visit England quit the country before the approach of winter, many remain and continue in a state of torpidity till the enlivening sun of April wakes them from their long sleep.-See our last volume, p. 259. The throstle, the red-wing, and the field-fare, which migrated in March, now return; and the ring-ouzel arrives from the Welsh and Scottish Alps to winter in more sheltered situations. About the middle of the month, the common martin disappears; and, shortly afterwards, the smallest kind of swallow, the sand-martin, and the stone-curlew, migrate. The Royston or hooded crow (Corvus cornix) arrives from Scotland and the northern parts of England, being driven thence by the severity of the season. The woodcock returns, and is found on our eastern coasts'. Small birds now begin to congregate, and the common linnet is the first to lead the way. The nimble linnet, In his russet feathers, flies as warm as Painted and his gilded trim. SIR W. DAVENANT. Various kinds of waterfowl make their appearance; and, about the middle of the month, wild geese quit the fens, and go to the rye and wheat lands to devour the young corn; frequently leaving a field as if it had been fed off by a flock of sheep. Rooks sport and dive, in a playful manner, before they go to roost, congregating in large numbers. The starling (Sturnus vulgaris) sings. The awk or puffin visits, for the purpose of incubation, some of the rocky isles of Britain, in amazing numbers. That singular appearance in nature, the gossamer, occurs in this month. See T. T. for 1821, p. 261.Amid the floral gaieties of autumn, may be reckoned the Guernsey lily, which is so conspicuous an object in October, in the windows and green-houses of florists in London and its vicinity. In mild seasons there are many flowers still in blow in this month-(see our last volume, p. 260, 261). Generally speaking, however, the last day of summer' has passed away, and we have some time since chaunted with the poet,— Summer, Summer, come again! Dost thou dread a little rain? 'On the migration of birds, see our former volumes, particularly T. T. for 1823, pp. 303-307, and for 1824, p. 271. |