THE INTERNATIONAL WEATHER-SERVICE. 305 



of variability which may be anticipated in the march of each element. 

 What is this but forecasting?" Every increase of simultaneous re- 

 ports is, therefore, another approximation to that knowledge which 

 would, if sufficiently full, enable the European meteorologist to foresee 



8O' 10" 60 



Low Barometer," or Cyclone, crossing the Atlantic from America to Europe. 

 (From " lutemational Weather-Map," Febniary 9, 1878.) 



and to give every day more timely forewarning of impending varia- 

 tions in the weather and " the march of each element," But this is 

 the grand end which all such international research contemplates. 

 "From the use of synchronous weather-maps," another prominent 

 English meteorologist tells us, " there has sprung up in recent years a 

 new science of the winds. With the principles of this science all the 

 more reliable rules of weather-forecasting are most intimately con- 

 nected. We no longer think of judging of coming weather merely by 

 the aspect of the sky and an examination of an individual barometer. 

 We invariably refer — I do not say to the weather-reports of a few 

 hours previous, for we often have neither these nor any weather-re- 

 ports at all at hand — but loe invariably refer to rules already deduced 

 from the long study of roeatlier-maps. The man who ignores these 

 rules had better, in my opinion, leave all attempts at weather-forecast- 

 ing alone. At best his weather-lore will not rise much above that of 

 the bees, Avhich fly to the hive, often to their own detriment, whenever 

 a dark cloud covers the sun." We cite these words as expressive of 

 the wise dependence which the most skillful Eui'opean meteorologists 



TOL. XVI. — 20 



