CLUAP aie Vill 
LAMARCK’S WORK IN METEOROLOGY AND PHYSICAL 
SCIENCE 
WHEN a medical student in Paris, Lamarck, from 
day to day watching the clouds from his attic windows, 
became much interested in meteorology, and, indeed, 
at first this subject had nearly as much attraction for 
him as botany. Fora long period he pursued these 
studies, and he was the first one to foretell the prob- 
abilities of the weather, thus anticipating by over 
half a century the modern idea of making the science 
of meteorology of practical use to mankind. 
His article, ‘‘ De linfluence de la lune sur l’atmos- 
phere terrestre,” appeared in the Journal de Physique 
for 1798, and was translated in two English journals. 
The titles of several other essays will be found in the 
Bibliography at the close of this volume. 
From 1799 to 1810 he regularly published an an- 
nual meteorological report containing the statement 
of probabilities acquired by a long series of observa- 
tions on the state of the weather and the variations 
of the atmosphere at different times of the year, 
giving indications of the periods when to expect 
pleasant weather, or rain, storms, tempests, frosts, 
thaws, etc.; finally the citations of these probabilities 
of times favorable to fétes, journeys, voyages, har- 
