REPORTS BY THE HONORARY SCIENTISTS, 189 
weather prevailed, especially in the Edinburgh district. In the 
far north, as has been shown, there was a slight excess. 
July 1897.—July, in marked contrast to the previous month, 
was favoured with remarkably fine dry weather, the mean 
temperature being high, the humidity low, and the rainfall con- 
siderably under the normal. On the east coast rather cool 
weather prevailed, but in the interior, where the air was very 
dry and the sunshine strong, temperature exceeded the normal 
by 2°. Rainfall was above the average over the Hebrides and at 
a few stations on the north-western coasts; but there was a 
great deficiency in the Lothians, where, at some stations, only 
one-fifth of the average was precipitated. 
August 1897.—An unusually low barometric pressure was the 
principal characteristic of the month of August, but in spite of 
this the mean temperature was very high, and the mean humidity 
a little under the average. The rainfall, however, was much 
above the normal, and the sunshine deficient. ‘The mean tempera- 
ture was much the same over the country, but was, as is usually 
the case, relatively higher at inland than at coast stations. The 
rainfall was a quarter more than the average, but was very 
irregularly distributed over the country, there being a deficiency 
to the north of the Grampian range. Double the mean quantity 
fell at many places in the counties of Perth, Forfar, Dumbarton, 
Renfrew, Dumfries, and Kirkeudbright. Thunderstorms were 
unusually frequent, with the result that most of the rain fell in 
the daytime. 
September 1897.—The means of the various climatic elements, 
taking the country as a whole, approximated closely to their 
averages, the only marked departure from the normal being the 
mean temperature, which was decidedly below the mean, the 
defect being principally brought about by the low nocturnal 
values. The distribution of the rainfall was extremely irregular, 
there being a decided excess over the western districts, and in 
Banffshire, Orkney, and Shetland. Less than half the average 
fall was measured over large tracks of country, Aberdeen, Edin- 
burgh, and Haddington having the smallest amounts. 
The Year ending September 1897.—The year under review was 
characterised by a temperature half a degree below the average, 
by a rainfall 5 per cent. above the average, falling on seventeen 
days more than the average, and by a marked deficiency of sun- 
shine, equivalent to 20 per cent. of the average. The early 
