REPORTS BY THE HONORARY SCIENTISTS. 147 



the east, but there was a marked excess in the north-west. The 

 percentage of the possible varied from 43 at Stornoway to 14 at 

 Glasgow. 



November 1898. — Very rough and unsettled weather prevailed 

 at the commencement of the month, especially in the west and 

 north-west, but quieter conditions set in after the first few days. 

 Towards the end of the month another spell of stormy weather 

 was experienced, with frequent snowfalls from the 21st to the 

 29th. The mean temperature was 41°-7, or 1 0, 1 above the aver- 

 age, being highest, 44 0, 6, at Airds, and lowest, 37°-6, at Braemar. 

 The excess of temperature was not so well marked in the north 

 as in the south, but, taken generally, was distributed over the 

 country with fair regularity. The high temperature of the 

 month was wholly due to the mild conditions experienced during 

 the first three weeks, as the last ten days were much colder than 

 the normal. The mean rainfall was a third greater than the 

 average, the excess being very general over the country. There 

 was a slight deficit at some places in Shetland, Ross, Inverness, 

 Argyll, Aberdeen, and in Gallowaj'-, but, on the other hand, nearly 

 double the average was recorded at Stornoway, Cupar, Thurso, 

 Stobo Castle, and North Esk Reservoir. Bright sunshine was 

 mostly in excess of the average, the percentage of the total 

 possible ranging from 24 at Aberdeen to 7 at Glasgow. 



December 1898. — The weather of December was unusually 

 mild, being the warmest recorded by the Scottish Meteorological 

 Society since 1857. Very heavy rain was experienced over large 

 tracts of the country, the fall being quite phenomenal at many 

 places in the north-west, Fort William, for example, recording 

 23*20 inches, and Glencarron 21 "65 inches. There was a rather 

 decided deficit " to the east of a line from Haddo House, passing 

 Perth, Loch Leven, Edinburgh, and Kelso," the smallest rainfall 

 being registered at Haddington, where but 1-03 inch fell. The 

 mean temperature was 42° -6, or 4° 8 above the average, and 

 varied from 46°-2 at Lochbuie to 38 c, 8 at Tillypronie. In the 

 Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland, the excess was but slight, 

 scarcely exceeding a degree, but in inland situations south of 

 the Grampians it was more than 6 o, 0. Bright sunshine was 

 very generally deficient, ranging from 20 per cent, of the total 

 possible at Aberdeen to 5 per cent, at Fort Augustus. 



January 1899. — The weather of January was extremely un- 

 settled, with heavy rains, the precipitation at times taking the 

 form of snow in the more northern districts. The mean tern- 



