130 RAINFALL IN DORSET. 



Taking the mean of the totals of the twenty stations 

 marked with an asterisk in Table I., and comparing it with 

 the mean rainfall of the previous 53 years, viz., 33*53 in., 

 we have an excess of 3 '69 in. in 1909 ; but during the first 

 eight months the rainfall was very deficient, amounting 

 only to 19 '52 in., whereas the four later months gave 17 '70 in., 

 of which 8'12 in. fell in October, and 5'60 in December. 

 November was a dry month, as also were January, February, 

 April, and May. 



The return showing the greatest total fall in the year comes 

 from Bradford Peverell (49'02 in.) which seems abnormally 

 high. Next comes Wynford House (48'33 in.) where 3'75 was 

 registered on 27th July, then Cattistock with 44'94, Steepleton 

 43 '82, and Evershot 43 '35. The lowest returns are from 

 Fleet House 27'15 in. ; Weymouth, Westham, 27'68 in., and 

 Chickerell Rectory 28'62. 



The only long spell of drought occurred during the first 

 23 days of May. 



In the following tables reports are published from ten 

 new stations, for seven of which we are indebted to Dr. 

 Mill, the editor of " British Rainfall," who has kindly given 

 advice in the settlement of questions which arose in compar- 

 ing the figures sent in from various districts. 



Three returns, which appeared in the tables for 1908, 

 have dropped out this year, one of these, Milton-on-Stour, 

 being the most northerly station in the county ; and, therefore, 

 it is lost with regret. 



It will be noticed in Table II., that the fifth column, 

 which, in former reports, gave the number of days on 

 which " -01 in. only " fell, has been altered to show the 

 number of " Days with more than '01 in.," the number 

 of " days of '01 in." having been deducted from the total 

 number of " rain days " given in the last column of that 

 table. 



Some observers are much more accurate than others in 

 recording small amounts of rain, and a fall of -01 in. in 

 the 24 hours is an almost inappreciable amount, although 



