116 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



the barometric pressure is diminishing under the influence 

 of west winds; but when the atmospheric pressure is in- 

 creasing during the prevalence of an east wind, barometric 

 altitudes are less than the true altitudes ; or the diminution 

 of pressure in the successive strata of air is less rapid than 

 when the air is perfectly calm. Bulletin Acad. Roy. des 

 /Sciences, Bruxelles, 1876, 757. 



CLIMATIC CHANGES IN SCOTLAND. 



Mr. Buchan communicates to the Botanical Society of 

 Edinburgh a short note on the bearing of meteorological 

 records on the supposed change of climate in Scotland. He 

 states that Mr. McNabb, in 1873, defended the popular 

 theory that the climate of Scotland aftbrds cooler summers 

 and warmer winters than formerly, basing his support upon 

 the facts deduced from vegetable phenomena. Mr. Buchan 

 himself, however, examines the question solely with refer- 

 ence to the recorded monthly mean temperatures as ob- 

 served since 1781, in two districts one in the north and one 

 in the south of Scotland. The records show plainly that, as 

 regards temperature, the Aveather of December is subjected 

 to large fluctuations, but there is no tendency to a perma- 

 nent increase or decrease of temperature; and similarly with 

 the temperature of July. Exceptionally warm and excep- 

 tionally cold months are distributed throughout the whole 

 ninety-four years, in such a way as to show that no perma- 

 nent change has taken place in the temperature of any 

 month, or of the year. As an instance, however, of the re- 

 markable fluctuations which occur, he adds that during the 

 past seven years the temperature of July has been above its 

 average, and that of December has been below the average. 

 These variations are quite in the opposite direction to that 

 required by the public belief. 7Va7isactioJis Botanical So- 

 ciety of Edirihurgh, 1874, 250. 



THE ANEROID BAROMETER. 



An excellent series of papers has been presented to the 

 scientific society of Chemnitz by Professor Schreiber. His 

 first article relates to the construction of the aneroids of 

 Bourdon, Naudet, and Goldschmid, and the construction of 

 an apparatus for testing aneroids without an air-pump. The 



