39 
ber because of the heat, and at some point or other the unexpected 
is sure to happen. What an opening there is for a trustworthy 
weather prophet. Dr. Falbe tried his hand last year and was a 
dismal failure. No one seems to be able to look forward with any 
confidence for more than 86 hours at the outside. Who, for 
instance, knew beforehand that we should have about 44 inches of 
rain here last February, and that that coupled with the excessive 
wet of several previous months would cause the land to slip at 
Sandgate? Nobody. At least if any one did he ought to be 
punished for not speaking of it. Or who could have told us that 
Summer would begin about the 1st of March, and continue till the 
- last day of October, and that there would be no rain at allin April, 
and next to none in either March or May. Or that we should 
have to speak of June as a rainless month? This we now know 
was the case, but if we could have known beforehand, what valuable 
information it would have been. Fortunately the lack of moisture 
did not hurt Folkestone particularly, and it was not necessary to 
put us on short commons for a moment in the matter of our water 
supply. However, the deficiency was made up in the last four 
months of the year. The rain of September and October was 
splendid, benefitting all and hurting nobody, as most of it fell in 
the night. 
I began by referring to the delightfully uncertain condition of 
things meteorological here, and I mean what I say. Depend upon 
it the perpetual variations in our climate do us good and not harm. 
Else why do we live longer in England than any other country? 
It is well known that we do, and that we live rather longer in 
Folkestone than in almost any other place. 
eé LIST OF SOCIETIES 3% 
WITH WHICH ‘‘PROCEEDINGS ARE EXCHANGED.”’ 
The Scientific Association, Meriden, Conn., U.S. 
The Academy of Sciences, New York. 
The Academy of Sciences, Philadelphia 
The Elliott Society of Science and Arts, Charlestown. 
The Rochester Academy of Science, Rochester, N.Y. 
The Imperial German Academy, Halle-on-the-Saale. 
The Tunbridge Wells Natural History Society. 
The Huddersfield Naturalists’ Society 
The Hast Kent Natural History Society. 
The Brighton and Sussex Natural Histcry Society. 
The Eastbourne Natural History Society. 
