538 



METEOROLOGY. 



In preparing a paper on " Synoptic Charts " 

 for the French Meteorological " Annales," M. 

 G. Rollin has examined day by day the move- 

 ments of the atmosphere, with the view of de- 

 termining the possibility of predicting the ar- 

 rival of storms reaching France from the At- 

 lantic. He has found, as has also been the case 

 in England, that the American telegrams can 

 not at present be turned to practical use in 

 weather prediction. He has, however, at- 

 tempted to make them useful in the future, by 

 establishing certain types which connect the 

 weather of the Atlantic with that of adjacent 

 continents; and he finds that many conditions, 

 without being actually identical, are sufficient- 

 ly alike to be classified together. But he 

 shows that much further investigation is neces- 

 sary before any definite rules can be laid down, 

 and that the atmospheric changes are often so 

 rapid that the difficulties of weather prediction 

 on the exposed coasts of Europe are likely to 

 remain very great for a long time to come. 



Apparatus. The maximum pressure anemom- 

 eter of "NV. H. Dines is so arranged that a 

 quantity of shot equivalent in weight to the 

 whole pressure upon the wind-receiving disk 

 falls from the upper to the lower part of a ves- 

 sel, after which the machinery is automatically 

 readjusted. 



W. 1ST. Shaw has described an apparatus for 

 determining the temperature by the variation 

 of electrical resistance, which, it is claimed, 

 will measure to within one three-hundredth of 

 a degree centigrade. 



M. Brassard has devised a recording rain- 

 gauge, by which the fall of each tenth of a 

 millimetre of water is registered. 



M. Bertelli, of Florence, has described an 

 apparatus for the protection of telephones from 

 lightning. 



The spring vane attached to the window of 

 Dr. Vettin's house in Berlin indicates the di- 

 rection of a wind blowing up or down the 

 street, or over the house at right angles to this, 

 or at any other angle. It is specially adapted 

 for observations in narrow mountain valleys, 

 where the direction of the wind can not be as- 

 certained by any other means. It is observed 

 that the wind that blows over the houses gives 

 rise to ascending and descending currents 

 along their walls. 



Bibliography. A selected list is appended of 

 the more important and those possessing a more 

 general interest among the numerous meteoro- 

 logical publications of the year : 



Abercrombv, Ealph, " On the Eelations between 

 Tropical and Extra-Tropical Cyclones." London. 



Berg, E., "The Significance of Absolute Moisture 

 in the Origin and Propagation of Storms." German. 



Berghofer, E., " Wind and Weather as Motors, 

 Pola.' ? 



Biedermann, Detler Frh. v., " Weather Indications 

 by Animals, and their Basis." Leipsic. 

 "Birkinbane, D., " Rainfall and Water." Franklin 

 Institute. Philadelphia. 



Buys Ballot, " Distribution of Temperature over 

 the Earth." 



Chiminelli, " On the First International Congress 

 of Medical Hydrology and Climatology, held at Bi- 

 arritz, October. 1887." Florence. 



Cruls, L.. " Dictionary of Universal Climatology." 



De Minvhi, L., " On the Influence of Mountain- 

 Chains on the General Circulation of the Atmos- 

 phere." Turin. 



Deutsche Seewarte, " Transoceanic Weather Ob- 

 servations." 



Diercks, " Aerial Navigation and Electricity." 

 Ghent. 



Elstner and Geitel, " On the Development of Elec- 

 tricity by the Friction of Wator-Drops " (in German). 



Exner, F., "On Transportable Apparatus for the 

 Observation of Atmospheric Electricity." Vienna. 



" Dependence of Atmospheric Electricity on the 

 Moisture in the Air." Vienna. 



Findley, A. G., "Text-Book of Ocean Meteorolo- 

 gy." London. 



"Flammarion, Camille, " The Atmosphere ; Popular 

 Meteorology." Paris. 



Folie. F., "Annual of the Observatory of Brussels, 

 1888, Fifty-fifth Year." Brussels. 



Fritz, H., " Eelations of Terrestrial Phenomena and 

 Solar Activity." Zurich. 



Gordon, A. E., " Eeport of the Hudson Bay Expe- 

 dition of 1886, with Isothermal Atlas." Ottawa. 



Guist, Moritz, " On the Atmospheric Ebb and 

 Flood." Hermannstadt. 



Ilazen, II. A., " Hand-Book of Meteorological Ta- 

 bles." 



Ilinrich, Gustavus, " The Climate of Southern Eus- 

 sia and Iowa compared." Ann Arbor. 



" Italian Meteorological Society, Annuario for 

 1887." 



Kiessling, " Contribution to the Annals of Unusual 

 Sun- and Sky-Colors." Hamburg. 



Lnrroque, F., " On the Origin of Electricity in the 

 Atmosphere and of the greater Electrical Phenome- 

 na" (in French). 



Liebenow, C. , "A Contribution to the Theory of 

 the Distribution of Air-Pressure over the Earth's 

 Surface." German. 



Luvini, Jean, " Contributions to Electric Meteor- 

 ology." Turin. 



Millot, C., " Course of Meteorology in the Faculty 

 of Natural Sciences at Nancy ; " begun in 1884. 



Mohn, " Year-Book of the Norwegian Meteoro- 

 logical Institute for 1886. Christiania. 



Miittrich, " Annual Eeport of Eesults of Forest- 

 Experiment Stations, etc., 1886." Berlin. 



Oberbeck, "On the Phenomena of Atmospheric 

 Movements." Berlin. 



Plaut4, Gustav, " Electrical Phenomena of the At- 

 mosphere." Paris. 



Eicco, " Observations and Studies of the Eed Twi- 

 lights." Eome. 



Eotch. A. Lawrence, and Upton, Winslow, "Me- 

 teorological Observations during the Solar Eclipse, 

 Aug. 19, 1887, made at Chlamostino, Eussia." Ann 

 Arbor. 



Saxony, " Year-Book of the Eoyal Saxon Meteoro- 

 logical Institute, 1886." Chemnitz. 



Stoney, G. Johnston, " On the Causes of the Iri- 

 descence of Clouds." Dublin. 



Toronto, Ont. " General Meteorological Eegister 

 for 1887." 



Upton, Winslow, "The Storm of March 11-14, 

 1888." Ann Arbor. 



Van Bebber, J., "Typical Thunder-Storm Phe- 

 nomena." Hamburg. 



VelschoWj Franz A., " The Natural Law of Relation 

 between Eainfall and Vegetable Life, and its Applica- 

 tion to Australia." London. 



Von Bezold, " Thermodynamics of the Atmos- 

 phere." Berlin. 



Wagner, " The Cold Climate from the Point of View 

 of Human Life." Lille. 



Zenker, Wilhelm, " Distribution of Heat over the 

 Earth's Surface." Berlin. 



