202 



RETURNS OF RAINFALL, ETC., IN DORSET. 



The talDle below gives the record for 1893 in inches (omitting 

 the decimal portion), showing the distribution of rain over the 36 

 stations and tlie number of stations recording similar amounts. 



It will be noticed that the difference of l-QOin. in 1892 between 

 Wtke Regis (Mrs. Pretor) and Weymouth (R. Met. Soc.) is very 

 nearly maintained this year,Mrs. Pretor's record being l'75in. above 

 the Weymouth one. This tends to show that the difference is due 

 to some permanent cause. In five months out of the twelve 

 Weymouth has the larger record, whilst the great differences 

 between the two occur in October and December, and amount 

 to l-16in. and 'SSin. respectively, which bring up the Wyke 

 Regis record so much above that of AVeymouth. 



Steepleton, which is divided from Portisham by the hills on 

 which Hardy's monument stands and is barely three miles distant, 

 shews a record of 5'48in. more than Portisham. This hardly 

 comes up to the difference of 12-85in. between Hazelbury Bryan 

 and HoLWELL, five miles away, but is nevertheless very striking. 



I have placed a few of the more interesting differences in the 

 records of neighbouring stations in the form of a table as below. 



