204 



RETURNS OF RAINFALL, ETC., IN DORSET, 



* Recorded for July 13 probably by mistake. 



The heaviest fall appears to have taken place at Wtke Kegis 

 and along the coast to the Eastward ; to the North and West it 

 diminished until it had decreased to "6 Tin. and •72in. at Gilling- 

 HAM and Sturminster Newton. At Eushmore there is no 

 record of rain on the 15th, though on tlie 14th and 16th more 

 than -Gin. fell on each day. At Chalbury I'OSin. fell on the 

 11th, and Mr. E. H. Barnes records 1 "43111. and three other falls 

 of over lin. during the month. 



Mr. Andrews, of Swanage, says that the fall of r84in. on 

 July 1 5th (St. Swithin's Day) was the heaviest fall recorded there 

 in 13 years. As sujDerstitions come within the limit of subjects 

 discussed by the Club, it may have some slight weight with those 

 who still believe that it will rain for 40 days after a wet St. 

 Swithin's Day, to note that even when St. Swithin's Day was the 

 wettest in the year, of the 40 succeeding days at Cheddington, 

 only 18 days, at Whatcombb 14 days, at Swanage 11 days, had 

 any rain ; but a fine St. Swithin's Day at Eushmore produced 

 only 26 fine days -and at Larmer only 24 fine days out of the 

 succeeding 40. This may be a little affected by the fact that a 

 day of rainfall is, or should be, measured (for the sake of 

 convenience and uniformity) from 9 a.m. on one day to 9 a.m. on 

 the next, and does not therefore exactly correspond with St. 

 Swithin's Day, which would begin at midnight, but the evidence 

 is strong nevertheless ! 



September. — On the 8tli a fall of l"01in. is recorded from 

 Shaftesbury, but nothing over lin. from elsewhere during this 

 month, except a fall of l"15in. at Melbury on the 28th. 



