The Meteorology of 1000. 39 



out that Messrs Bartholomew, whom Mr Andson had referred to, 

 had published in their atlas a rainfall chart, and in the case of 

 Dumfries there was a distinct line that came up from the east side 

 of Criffel, up by Carsethorn, across again by Dumfries, and then 

 down the other side of the Solway and across the county, showing 

 that the rainfall was much less on the Solway shore than in parts 

 of the countrj' north of the line. He had obtained a record of the 

 rainfall during the past year at Dumfries, Maxwelton, Glencrosh, 

 Burnfoot, Ewes, Drumlanrig, and Ericstane, and he made out the 

 average of these seven stations to be 55"4 inches — a very high 

 record. The highest record of all came from Ewes, 445 feet 

 above sea level, where the rainfall was no less than 67 inches. 

 Glencrosh came next with 62 inches, and Ericstane had 58-88 

 inches. Drumlanrig' had had it wetter than for some time past — 

 53 inches, whereas there was a time when the rainfall was very 

 light, approaching to about 30 inches one year. Of course the 

 returns brought out December to be the wettest mouth at all the 

 places, March appearing to have been the driest in the year. The 

 record for Dumfries for that month was about a quarter of an 

 inch, and in all the other places the rainfall amounted to less than 

 one inch, with the exception of Ewes, where it was 2-2 inches. It 

 was interesting to observe the mortality statistics with regard to 

 the meteorology. The death rate for the year throughout the 

 county, including the burghs, with the exception of Dumfries, was 

 something like 17 "443 per thousand per annum, the monthly death 

 rates ranging from 28*97 in February, a cold and inclement month, 

 to 12-520 in October, which, though a wet month, was fairly mild. 

 February, which showed the highest total death rate, showed also 

 the highest from tubercular diseases and from nervous and 

 circulatory diseases. January, he supposed as the result of the 

 wet in the previous December and because of the influenza so 

 common then, showed the highest death rate from respiratory 

 diseases — 4-858 — that in January being 4*859. A rather in- 

 teresting question was discussed at some length in the Scotsman 

 the other day by a writer in the science notes as to whether mild 

 winters were necessarily unhealthy winters. The mild winter, 

 such as this one had been, got some support from statistics. He 

 was working out what he might call the expected deaths for 

 certain months of the year, and when working it out for the last 

 quarter, based upon the statistics for the county and its burghs. 



