312 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1884. 



logical Society a revision of liis work on tlie distribut-ion of tempeiatuie 

 over the British islands. All the d;ita accessible to him have been re- 

 duced uniformly to consistency with the twenty-four-year interval, 185T 

 to 1880, inclusive. The isotherms of January show distinctly the in- 

 closed co>d area in the northern part of Iceland and the northeastern 

 third of Great Britain. The winter temperature diminishes as we pro- 

 ceed inward more rapidly than would correspond to elevation only. The 

 influence of the prevailing west-southwest winds is, of course, to bring 

 the warmer ocean temperatures up over the laud, and an elevation of a 

 few thousand feet would cover the British isles with glacial snow. The 

 remarkable difference between the Scottish and Welsh highlands is 

 clearly seen in the dry, cool air of the Scotch, and the warm, moist at- 

 mosphere of the Welsh. (Z. 0. G. 3L, xviii, p. 401.) 



191. A. G. Hogbom has studied the change in isotherms in the au- 

 tumn over Northern Europe in a manner corresponding to Hildebrands- 

 son's study of isotherms for the spring. His tables show that the ad- 

 vantage of a maritime climate and the disadvantage of a continental 

 climate on the growth of vegetation are more marked in the autumn than 

 in the spring. {Z. 0. G. Jf., xix, p. 112.) 



192. Prof. H. Kiesenberger has, at his own expense, carried out tem- 

 perature observations at thi*ee mountain stations for comparison with 

 observations made by himself at Hermannstadt. The altitudes of the 

 four stations are, respectively, 411, 953, 1,318, and 1,598 meters. The 

 diminution of temperature with altitude is very slow, corresponding to 

 that found on -plateaus rather than on mountains. In December the 

 diminution occasionally becomes an increase. The rate of diminution 

 has also a large daily period, it being slowest at 7. A. M., when it is 1° C. 

 for 456 meters, while at 2 p. m. it is 1° for every 144 meters. {Z. 0. G. 

 ilL, xix,p. 450.) 



193. Dr. A. Lugli has investigated a formula for expressing the con- 

 nection between the monthly and annual mean temperature in Italy 

 with the latitude and altitude above sea-level. He finds for the stations 

 of the Apennines and those south of the Alps as well as the low sta- 

 tions the following formula for the mean annual temperature : f-13o.8G 

 + 0°.67(45° — 4') — 00.0055 h. He then examines the mean temperatures 

 for each moiith, and determines for each the special values of the three 

 constants in this formula, which vary as follows: The change of tem- 

 perature for 1° of latitude is a minimum in the summer, having an aver- 

 age value of (>o.30 for April, May, June, and July ; it is a maximum in 

 winter, having a value of lo.36 for December. The diminution of tem- 

 perature for 100 meters of ascent has an average value t)f 0^.51 for the 

 year, the maximum being 0o.G4 for April, and the minimum 0^.36 for 

 January. The author then combines the highest Alpine stations with 

 those in his sub-Alpine districts, and with these again revises his cal- 

 culations, deducing general values, representing especially the condi- 

 tions for the latitudes 39o.4, and 45°, respectively. The mean annual 

 change for a degree of latitude at 45° is 0o.72 C, and for lOO meters of 



