Transactions. 43 



often the absolute maximum of the year occurs about the time of 

 the summer solstice. Thus, in 1887, it was on the 2.5th June, in 

 1888 on the 26th of the same month, and in 1880 on the 22nd, 

 the readings ranging from 82-4 to 87 deg. The year 1890 was an 

 excejjtion. Curiously enough, the highest reading in that year 

 was on the 23rd May, and fell considerably below the maximum 

 of previous years, having been only a fraction above 75 deg. But, 

 again, in 1891 it is almost coincident with the summer solstice, 

 and exceeds 80 deg. It does not follow from this, however, that 

 June is the warmest month of the year. This distinct'on usually 

 falls to July in consequence of the accumulation of heat in the 

 earth during the longest days of the summer, just as the coldest 

 month of the year is not generally December, in which the winter 

 solstice occurs and the day is at the shortest, but the one succeed- 

 ing it, that is January, a fact which is to be explained by the 

 cumulative effect of the short days and greater obliquity of the 

 sun's rays in midwinter. This has been verified in the past year, 

 for, while the highest mean temperature of any month was that of 

 July, viz., 59 deg., as compared with 58 deg. in June, the lowest 

 was in January, viz., 36 deg., as compared with 39*2 deg. in 

 December. It is right to add, however, that there are exceptions 

 to this rule. Through the variations of the weather and the 

 seasons in our uncertain climate, the highest monthly mean some- 

 times occurs in June or August, or even September (as was the 

 case in 1890), and the lowest in December or February. But as a 

 rule the maximum heat of the year is reached about the 14th to 

 the 16th July, and the minimum in the period fi'om the 4th to 

 the 14th January. And so uniform is this rule, that if a sufBcient 

 number of years is taken for the average, say fifty years, for 

 example, the temperature will be found to rise and fall with all 

 the regularity of a curve. The lowest single thermometer reading 

 of the year was recorded on the 9th of March, when it fell to 11-4 

 deg. The whole of the second and third weeks of March were 

 extremely cold, with a prevalence of northerly and easterly winds, 

 and occasional snow showers. It was during that period that the 

 severe snow storms occurred in the south of England, with serious 

 drifts, which resulted, as most of us may remember, in great 

 interruption to traffic and some loss of life. The mean annual 

 range of temperature was considerably above the normal, being no 

 less than 72 deg. The meau maximum of the year was 54"6 deg., 



