278 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1884 



cal statistics will afford very little satisfaction. The sensations wliicli 

 human beings call " raw," " harsh," " depressing," &c., are subjective, and 

 are compounds of several factors, such as temperature, moisture, wind, 

 sunshine. Moreover, a locality that offers a few hours of such raw 

 climate every day is not likely to be detected by observations at three 

 hours only. The meteorologist is primarily interested in the physics and 

 mechanics of the atmosphere, not in its influence on human sensations ; 

 that belongs to hygiene and demands a special apparatus and obser- 

 vations, a fine exam^ile of which is to be found in the work on subjec- 

 tive climate undertaken by J. E. Osborne, of Washington, from 1875 to 

 1877.] {Z. 0. G. i)f., XIX, p. 240.) 



79. Pschrewalski's observations in Thibet have enabled him to locate 

 the region of the sources of the Hoang Ho as that to which penetrate 

 both the southwest monsoon from the Indian Ocean and the southeast 

 monsoon from the Pacific coast of China. He also establishes the diur- 

 nal and annual variations of temperature, the former being remarkably 

 large, amounting in some cases to from 20° C. at the midday maximum 

 to — 30"^ at the morning minimum. Very interesting dustwhirls were 

 observed and sketched. The transportation of dust l)y strong winds 

 fully confirms Von Richthofen's theory of the formation of the loess. 

 {Z. 0. G. M., XVIII, p. 303.) 



80. Prof. J. Partsch, of Breslau, contributes a summary of our knowl- 

 edge of the climate of Greece, based largely on the extensive collection 

 of data made by the late Prof. J. F. J. Schmidt. [Z. 0. G. M., xix, p. 

 473.) 



81. Lehmann has compiled a complete list of the literature relative to 

 the meteorology of Thuringia; he takes as his starting point the titles 

 given by Hellmann. Similar works for many other sections of the world 

 are desirable. 



82. Zoppritz has brought together the meteorological results of a num- 

 ber of expeditions by Americans and others to the Central American 

 regions. (D. M. Z., i, p. 302.) 



83. A. Angot, of Paris, has published a valuable study on the climate 

 of Algeria, especially the temperature, pressure, and raintall. The mean 

 temperature for the year varies from 17.7 C, on the northern coast, to 

 21.1 C, on the southern border, namely, at the limit of the Sahara, in 

 latitude 34o.l. The monthly ranges are as follows : On the coast, a min- 

 imum in January (11.4) and maximum in August (25.0) ; on the southern 

 border, a minimum in January (10.4) and maximum July (34.1). We 

 see from this that the temperature increase, especially in summer, as we 

 proceed southward, is due not to latitude but to the continental pecui- 

 arities of the soil, the cloudless sky, and the direction of the wind. {Z. 

 0. G. M., XIX, p. C4.) 



84. Dr. W. Koppen collects together the date of first and last rains at 

 various points on the southwest coast of Africa as recorded in various 

 years from 1874 to 1883. The beginning of the rainy season varied from 



