130 J. HOPKIIfSON — EEPOET OSJf THE 



on the east, the Upper Brent on the south, the Chess on the south- 

 west, and the Upper Thames on the west of the County. 



Particulars of the gaxiges, with the names of the observers, etc., 

 and the monthly and annual rainfall (including melted snow), and 

 number of days on which O'Ol inch of rain (or snow) fell at each 

 of these stations, are given in the accompanying tables (pp. 128, 129). 

 The symbols used are the same as before, /jn" signifying that a series 

 of levels has been taken to the gauge from an Ordnance bench- 

 mark, T that levels have been taken to the gauge from some datum 

 other than Ordnance mean sea-level, and B that the height has 

 been taken by the barometer. 



The distribution of the rainfall over the year will be seen to 

 have been very remarkable. In the first three quarters the fall 

 was excessive ; in the last it was almost unprecedentedly small. In 

 the first three months the mean fall in the county was 7" 13 ins. ; 

 in the second, 10-81 ins. ; in the third, 12*12 ins. ; and in the 

 fourth, only 2' 15 ins. ; the fall in the third quarter being thus 

 nearly six times that in the last. Comparing the months with each 

 other we find that March, October, November, and December were 

 unusually dry, averaging 0"78 in., and ranging from 0-66 in. to 

 96 in. ; that January, April, May, and September were wet, 

 though not much above the mean of the year, their average being 

 2'82 ins. and their range fi-om 2-63 ins. to 3" 17 ins.; and that 

 February, June, July, and August were excessively wet, averaging 

 4'45 ins. and ranging from 3"54 ins. to 5 '22 ins. 



In the arrangement of the river-basins a slight alteration has 

 been made in this report. The main watershed in Hertfordshire 

 divides it into two very unequal portions, by far the greater part of 

 the county being drained by rivers flowing into the Thames, and a 

 small district in the north being drained by tributaries of the Ouse. 

 These tributaries, the Ivel and Cam, are therefore here raised 

 to the same rank as the Colne and Lea, which flow into the Thames. 

 Tor the basin of the Thames the mean fall in the county was 

 32-00 ins., and for that of the Ouse 29-02 ins., the distribution in 

 their tributaries being as follows : — 



( Lower Colne 36-36 



Colne 34-04|Ver 33--il 



( Gade 33-20 



f Lower Lea 33-52 



Thames «( I Upper Lea 28-73 



T«„ on.eo j Mimram 30-40 



^'^ 2°^^<Ash 3001 



Ouse 



Beane 31-24 



CRib 29-91 



( Ivel 28-89 Hiz 28-89 



I Cam 29-15 Rhee 29-15 



The relative proportion of the rainfall in the larger divisions will 

 he seen to have been the same as during the three previous years, 

 the basins of the Ivel and Cam having the least fall, the basin of 

 the Lea having the next, and that of the Colne having the greatest. 



