XIV. 

 EEPOKT ON THE RAINFALL IN nERTFORDSHlEE IN 1879. 



By John Hopkinson, F.L.S., F.M.S., etc., Hon. Sec. 



Head at Watford, 20ih April, 1880. 



Plate III. 



There are very few changes to record for this year in the stations 

 from which returns of the rainfall have been received. For Watford 

 we have again the return from Watford House, omitted in 1878, 

 and we have a new station in the neighbourhood, Bushey Heath, 

 also added — the only additions to the 1878 returns. Against these 

 we have to record the loss of one station, Aspenden Rectory, near 

 Buntiugford, so that we have returns from one more station than 

 in 1878. 



On referring to the report for 1878 it will be seen that the 

 districts for which observers are still required are the same as those 

 there enumerated.* 



The map which I then mentioned my intention of giving with 

 some future report accompanies the present one. It shows the 

 position of the rain-gauges in the county, and the river-basins in 

 which they are situated. The limits of the river-basins are taken, 

 with some slight modiiications, from Mr. Pryor's map, published 

 some years ago in our ' Transactions, 'f in illustration of his pro- 

 posed botanical districts. Every station for which returns of the 

 rainfall in 1879 have been communicated to me is shown, | and in 

 order that the map may also illustrate the next report I have added 

 the only rainfall station that I am aware of as having been started 

 in 1880 — Throcking Rectory, Buntingford.§ 



It will be seen from the map that the area for which rainfall 

 observers are most urgently required is the district to the south- 

 east of St. Albans, the basin of the Upper Colne, which has not a 

 single observer; that the next in need is the adjoining area to the 

 east, the basin of the Lower Lea, with but one observer near 

 Barnet ; and that the other basins without observers are the Stort 



* ' Trans. Watford Nat. Hist. Soc.,' Vol. II, p. 223. t lb. Vol. I, Plate I. 



X In addition to the rainfall stations all the principal towns and villages in the 

 county are given in such a way that if gauges are at any time started at any of 

 them, their position can be indicated (by a dot of ink in the open circle), no 

 place having at least 2000 inhabitants being omitted. The names in italics 

 indicate places of too little importance to have been given had they not been 

 rainfall stations, these in some cases being only the names of the residences of 

 the observers. 



§ Since the Map was lithographed and this Report was sent to press I have 

 heard that at the end of 1880 two other rain-gauges were set up by members 

 of the Society; one at Iloddcsdon, where we lost an observer in 1878, and the 

 other at Odsey not far from the gauge at Od.sey Grange. As, however, returns 

 from these stations will only date from the year 1881, they could not correctly 

 have been inserted in the map. 



