134 



ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1954 



VISITORS 



The number of visitors dropped to about three- fourths that of last 

 year. Most of them came in small groups, and quite a number stayed 

 overnight or for a few days. Among these were Boy Scouts, Girl 

 Scouts, and photography clubs ; groups from schools in Panama City, 

 Colon, and elsewhere; from colleges, and from the University of 

 Panama. There were also a number of groups from the Armed Forces, 

 the United States Embassy in Panama, many technical and specialized 

 missions, and branches of the Point 4 Program. There were many 

 scientists returning from other missions and who had only a day or 

 two on Barro Colorado. Among the most distinguished and enthu- 

 siastic visitors were King Leopold and his wife, Her Royal Highness 

 Princess Liliane, of Belgium. 



RAINFALL 



In 1953, during the dry season (January to April) rains of 0.01 

 inch or more fell on 48 days (165 hours) and on 194 days during the 

 8 months of the wet season. 



Rainfall was 1.90 inches below the 29-year station average, as com- 

 pared to 9.26 inches last year — an excess of 5.37 inches for the 4-month 

 dry season, and a deficiency of 7.27 inches for the 8-month wet season. 

 February was the driest month, 0.69 inch, and November the wettest, 

 19.28 inches. 



Table 1. — Annual rainfall, Barro Colorado Island, C. Z. 



Total 



Year incites 



1925 104.37 



1926 118.22 



1927 116.36 



1928 101.52 



1929 87.84 



1930 76.57 



1931 123.30 



1932 113.52 



1933 101.73 



1934 122.42 



1935 143.42 



1936 93.88 



1937 124.13 



1938 117.09 



1939 115.47 



