B. TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS AND METEOROLOGY. 79 



laws controlling the movements of the atmosphere is some- 

 what unsatisfactory to the professional student. 



APPLICATION OF AMSLER's PLANIMETER TO METEOROLOGICAL 



CALCULATIONS. 



Mr. Scott, of the Meteorological Office in London, reports 

 that perfect success has attended the adoption of Amsler's 

 planimeter in the calculation of the average daily tempera- 

 tures. The instrument was applied directly to the photo- 

 graphic sheets of the self-recording instruments, and was 

 also applied to the reduced copies of these sheets, as publish- 

 ed in the quarterly w r eather reports, and the results thus ob- 

 tained check each other satisfactorily. 



RAINFALL AND SOLAR SPOTS. 



In the monthly notices of the Meteorological Society of 

 Mauritius, Mr. Meldrum, of that islaud, concludes that, wheth- 

 er we take the annual rainfall for the largest possible portion 

 of the globe for short periods, or for a small portion of the 

 globe for a longer period, we arrive at the same result: viz., 

 an increase of rain at or near the epochs of maximum sun 

 spots, and a decrease of rain at or near the epochs of mini- 

 mum sun spots. The exceptions to this law are few and 

 trilling, and disappear from the results as the inquiry is 

 made to cover more extended portions of the earth's surface 

 and a longer interval of time. 12 A, X., 418. 



THE DRY SEASON OF BRAZIL. 



As an illustration of the extreme dryness of the soil dur- 

 ing the dry season in Brazil, it is stated that, in June, all 

 vegetation ceases, the seeds being then ripe or nearly so. 

 In July the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off; in Au- 

 gust an extent of many thousands of square leagues presents 

 the aspect of a European winter, but without snow, the trees 

 being completely stripped of their leaves ; the plants that 

 have grown in abundance in the wilderness drying up, and 

 serving as a kind of hay for the sustenance of numerous 

 heads of cattle. This is the period most favorable for the 

 preparation of the coffee that grows upon the mountains. 

 The beans are picked and laid on the ground, which gives 

 forth no moisture, but on the contrary absorbs it, and being 



