32 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. F. 



cyclones. Connected with the high pressure to the south these areas 

 caused prevalence of warm south-west winds. The Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 at intervals during the month was affected by the northern anti-cyclonic 

 waves which moved east, ^north of the lake region. During January in 

 Western Canada there was a marked tendency for warm south to west 

 winds, clearly attributable to the position of the storm track and exces- 

 sive rate of movement of the storms. In Eastern Canada there was 

 continually a distinct gradient for cold north to north-west winds owing 

 to anti-cyclones having passed eastward far north of the lakes, closing in 

 behind the storms as they left the coast. In February the average storm 

 track was further south in the lake region and further north over the 

 Gulf, thereby causing a greater prevalence of cold anti-cyclonic condi- 

 tions than in January over the former part of the country and a lesser 

 amount in the latter. He was convinced that on the position of mean 

 track of storms, and on their persistency and rate of movement depends 

 very greatly the character of seasons. He thought it not improbable 

 that the position of mean track and the rate of movement may depend 

 largely on the energy of the general drift of the atmosphere from the 

 south-west over the middle latitudes. What causes most probably lead 

 to a difference in this drift in correspondent seasons of different years ? 

 It seemed not improbable that a changing amount of heat received from 

 the sun owing to solar disturbance might be the secret agency they were 

 in search of What was the connection between sun spots and terrestial 

 phenomena ? A connection had been proved to exist between sun spot 

 periods and magnetic declination. Many scientists had shown almost 

 conclusively a connection between sun spots and rainfall. If the mean 

 track of storms was affected by sun spot periods, then so must be the 

 rainfall. It was possible that the failure to study rainfall in connection 

 with storm tracks might have caused the agreement between maximum 

 rainfall and maximum sun spot periods to appear less evident. On the 

 position of the mean path of storms and on their persistency depended 

 greatly the character of our seasons. Was there nothing in the fact that 

 the spots or solar storms at periods of maximum were found near the 

 equator, and that just before minimum they began to appear in higher 

 latitudes, and that just after minimum there was often an outbreak far 

 from the equator ? 



