66 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Everything relating to the covering of the ground by snow is of 

 such importance to science and practical life that it should be observed 

 and published in detail. The exact moment when it occurs should be 

 ascertained ; the structure of the covering in different parts of the cold 

 season ; its depth in different places in forests, parks, fields, and ra- 

 vines ; the time when it begins to melt ; the advance of the thaw ; the 

 condition of the upper layer of soil under the snow (that is, whether 

 an icy crust is formed and when), and the facts respecting high water 

 in the rivers, should all be looked after. The business of making these 

 observations could be intrusted to students of meteorological and 

 phenological phenomena. The only point to be regarded as difficult 

 is the observation of the depth of the snow under different conditions. 

 This could be facilitated by having stakes fixed in advance, with white 

 and red divisions clearly marked, so as to be visible from a distance- 

 The most exact data on the mean depth of the snow will be furnished 

 by forests, gardens, and parks, where the snow is protected against 

 the wind by trees. In open places, numerous observations will be ne- 

 cessary, in consequence of the variations in the thickness of the snow, 

 caused by the action of the wind. I believe, however, that a good ob- 

 server would soon become at home, and find great interest in observa- 

 tions of this kind. After they have been continued systematically for 

 a suitable time, and it has become possible to draw a few general de- 

 ductions from them, telegrams might be dispatched to the central me- 

 teorological stations, reporting upon the condition of the snow. From 

 these reports, important practical conclusions could be drawn, as in de- 

 termining how long the rivers are likely to continue open to naviga- 

 tion, the amount of water that the rivers will have to carry after the 

 thaw, and the probable character of the spring. 



The snow-fall in the Himalayas has given rise to predictions re- 

 specting the arrival and conditions of spring in the north of India, 

 which have been fully justified ; and careful observations of this 

 kind might be made very useful in other countries where the win- 

 ters are liable to be severe. Translated for the Popular Science 

 Monthly from Ciel et Terre. 



Dr. Martineaf, by way of showing up the absurdity of using what may be 

 called "unreal words" on religious subjects, has warned the evangelicals that 

 they can not really believe in the damnation of persons with whom they dine 

 and joke on cordial terms ; and that, if they profess to do so, the sincerity of 

 their belief or the cordiality of their social relations must suffer. The London 

 " Spectator " hints that it is such " unreal words," too profusely uttered by those 

 who profess to speak with the authority of revelation, that form the best justi- 

 fication for the unreal words uttered by those who believe in no such authority 

 at all. 



