METEOROLOGY AND ALLIED SUBJECTS. 243 



III. — This volume is entirely devoted to the rainfall in France, and 

 gives the results of daily observations of 1,0G9 stations in France, to- 

 gether with summaries by seasons and the year. 



IV. — This volume contains two memoirs on general meteorology by 

 Leon Teisserence de Bort, on the distribution of temperature and pres- 

 sure daring January and July. 



For 1879 we have as follows : I. — Studies upon the thunder storms of 

 France for 1878 by Fron, in continuation of the series of memoirs on 

 this subject which he has published annually for many years past. This 

 is followed by shorter memoirs by Edward and Henry Becquerel and 

 Kaulan (results of rainfall observations at 200 stations in France). The 

 method of reducing barometric observations to sea-level used at the 

 French stations is explained with tables by A. An got, to whom it is due. 

 Angot assumes the temperature of the bottom of the air column to be 

 that of the observed or upper station, plus one degree Centigrade for 

 each 180 meters of altitude. The volume concludes with a biographical 

 notice of Le Verrier. 



The Annals for 1879, Part IV, " M^teorologie G^n^rale," contains 

 (1)M. de Taste's general theory of atmospheric circulation; (L') Teisser- 

 ence de Bort's study upon the atmospheric circulation on the continents. 

 {Z. 0. G. 3L, XVI, p. 485-488.) 



The Annuaire of the Meteorological Society of France, Vol. XXVIII, 

 for 1880, contains among memoirs the following of general interest : 

 C. Eitter, Provisional Theory of Aqueous Meteors, accompanied by ex- 

 cellent representations of various forms of clouds ; Renou, Compensa- 

 tion of Aneroid Barometers; Angot, Xew Tables for Barometric Hypsom- 

 etry ; Louvet and Carrd, Rainfall in the Department of I'Orient. {Z. 0. 

 G. M., XVI, p. 494 and 526.) 



The London Meteorological Office has published part 2, Contribution 

 to the Meteorology of the Arctic Regions. This volume contains the 

 original journal of observations of ten vessels that have visited the 

 region in Arctic North. America between 45° and 120° west longi- 

 tude and 00° to 80° north latitude. These are in detail as follows: 

 Sir John Ross, October, 1829, to May, 1832; Sir G. Back, August, 1836, 

 to July, 1837; Sir T. Austin, September, 1850, to August, 1851; Capt. 

 W. Penny, September, 1850, to August, 1851 ; Sir Edward Belcher, Sep- 

 tember, 1852, to August, 1854 ; Sir F. C. McClintock, 1857, to July, 1859. 

 Special attention has been given by Strachan to the careful investi- 

 gation into accuracy of thermometers, and the working up of the records 

 of temperature, pressure, and wind. {Z. 0. G. M., XVI, 1881, p. 483.) 



Hirth has collected all that is known relative to the etymology and 

 history of the word "typhoon." Among his references is given a trans- 

 lation from the Chinese annals of tlie island of Formosa, which was 

 first published in 1694. According to this work "typhoon" is equiva- 

 lent to "t'ai-fung"; "fung" Isold Chinese for wind ; "t'ai^' is a word 

 from the language of the earlier inhabitants of Formosa. 



