224 



NATURE 



[July 9, i\ 



Case of Miss Mildred Holden. 



' If anything. 



Note. — The column for June 1891 was sent to me in a letter, as written in the table, except that Wednesday and Thursday 

 are described as " brownish-grey, with little dots," and Friday as " white, with dots." The letter says : — " Is this right ? I write 

 this out without giving much thought to it — writing as fast as I can write. I am not quite definite in my mind as to the colours of 

 9, 10, G, T, K, O, Q, S, V ; but the others have never changed. The days of the week I never think of without thinking of their 

 corresponding colours. They have always remained the same. I don't quite remember if I have ever told you about the dots 

 before, but they have always been there, and are like minute pencil marks showing through the colour. Tuesday'\% slightly do* ted." 



The table gives the results of the earlier experiments together 

 with others which have been subsequently obtained. The later 

 exoeriments have been made under circumstances which are 

 peculiarly favourable — usually by correspondence during my 

 daughter's absence at school. 



The table undoubtedly represents vivid and permanent associa- 

 tions of colour with numerals, letters, &c. If we collect the 

 various signs which correspond to a given colour, it appears, on 

 the whole and in a general way, that the colour is associated with 

 the sound rather than with the form of a letter. For example, 

 G, P, T, Z sxe green ; A, H, eight, are tvhite ; V, Friday, five, 

 2iX& white; C, S, Saturday, are yellow, &c. There are numerous 

 exceptions to this, however, and it is by no means proved that 

 there is a real law here. I simply make the suggestion on 

 account of its bearing on the question whether or no we can 

 think without words. It is clear that many experiments, such 

 as are exhibited in the table, must be made before the time will 

 arrive for definite conclusions to be drawn. Perhaps this brief 

 note may induce others to print the results of similar investiga- 

 tions. Edward S. Holdbn. 



Mount Hamilton, June. 



NO. II 32, VOL. 44] 



Erratic Barometric Depression of May 23-29, and 

 Hailstorm of May 24. 



In connection with the very interesting letter of the Rev. 

 Clement Ley (on p. 150), descriptive of the barometric depression 

 which passed over these isles towards the end of last month, 

 the following extract from a letter of mine published in the local 

 press, with a view of obtaining further information, but without 

 success, may be of interest. At the time when the centre of the 

 depression lay over the mouth of the Thames, as mentioned by 

 Mr. Ley, this neighbourhood was being visited by a thunder- 

 storm of great severity and lengthy duration, and at 6 p.m. the 

 rain gave place to hail, and ''In the short space of twenty 

 minutes the ground and roofs of houses w ere covered with a 

 compact layer of frozen rain-drops, which at the end of half an 

 hour (6. 30 p. m. ), when the storm had abated and given place again 

 to rain, I found to have an average depth of 075 inch, though 

 the stones were then reduced to about half their original size. 

 . . . But few of the hailstones, which were nearly all ovarious 

 in form, were smaller than 0-375 by 0-250 inch, and three which 

 I picked up at random at 6.10 p.m. when the storm was at its 



