PROCEEDINGS OF SECTIOX A. 321 



cyclones which come from the north-east, recurve about latitude 20°, 

 and then travel to the south-east or east-south-east. As the winter 

 approaches, the number of cyclones at Mauritius diminishes, and their 

 location moves eastward, the latitude of recurvature at the same time 

 decreasing. If the point of recurvature were sufficiently far to the 

 north or east of Maiu'itius, the storm would strike the west coast of 

 Western Australia. There is evidence that a great many of the winter 

 storms have approached from the Indian Ocean. A classification made 

 from January to September, 1906, showed that of 31 of the winter type 

 of storms experienced in Western Australia 21 distinctly came from 

 the Indian Ocean. It is thought that the other 10 also came from this 

 quarter, but that their path lay so far to the west that their approach 

 was not perceived until nearing the Leeuwin. It is not exactly known 

 what takes place in the atmosphere when a disturbance breaks down 

 from the tropics through the normal high-pressure belt, but the illustra- 

 tions given show that they do take this course. Suitable observations 

 taken at a height of, say, 5,000ft. in the free atmosphere would help 

 to elucidate this point. 



It is not denied that sometimes a storm does seem to surge north- 

 wards from the Southern Ocean in Australian longitudes. This seems 

 to happen more frequently in the vicinity of South-Eastern Australia. 

 It is suggested that the upward surge referred to is induced by a " low " 

 coming down from the Indian Ocean and separating out the high- 

 pressure belt into anticyclones. Instances of two disturbances of the 

 kind forming a trough of low pressure across Australia are frequent, and 

 have been noted as one of the sets of conditions which are associated 

 with a general rain in South Australia. It is thought that these upward 

 surges of low pressure from the Southern Ocean, which sometimes bring 

 unexpected storms and floods, especially in the south-eastern portions 

 of Australia, might profitably be studied in conjunction with the 

 hypothesis that they are in some way connected with the passage of a 

 disturbance coming down from the north-west, perhaps only perceptible 

 over Australia in the upper portions of the atmosphere. 



10. -STANDARD ASTRONOMICAL WORK IN AUSTRALIA. 



By W. ERNEST COOKE, M.A., F.R.A.8., Government Astronomer of 

 Western Australia, 



[Abstract.] 



A scheme of standard work is suggested for international co- 

 operation, so that a " series of first-class positions of the same stars 

 will be determined every 11 or 12 years, and the observer in other 

 departments of astronomy will find suitable reference points in any 

 field he may wish to investigate." Each Australian observatory might 

 undertake a zone of 2° per year, if two assistants were employed upon 

 the transit work, doing both observing and computing, and if the new 



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