280 



KNOWLEDGE. 



Jl'LV, 1911 



METEOROLOGY. 



By John A. Curtis. F.K.Mf.t.Soc. 



The weather of the week ended May iOth, as presented in the 

 Weekly Weather Report of the Meteorological Office, was 

 rainy at first, but became dry, though mostly dull. 



Temperature was above the normal in all districts, the 

 greatest excess being in the Midland counties, where the mean 

 was 5-6 above the average. The highest readings recorded 

 were 73" at Norwich, and 71 at Kaunds and at Southampton. 

 In Ireland, X. the ma.ximum did not exceed 66'. The lowest 

 of the minima were 3i at West Linton on the 17th. and d-i' at 

 Balmoral on the 15th. Slight frost was recorded on the grass 

 at several stations, the lowest reading being 29° at Markree 

 Castle. Co. Sligo. 



Rainfall was in excess in Scotland, E. and England. E., but 

 was in defect elsewhere, very greatly so in various parts, many 

 stations being rainless for the week. Sunshine was above the 

 average in Scotland, W. and Ireland, N. and was normal in 

 Ireland. S. In all other districts it was in defect. The least sunny 

 district was the Midland Counties with a total duration of 

 only 19 hours 117%! while the most sunny was Scotland, W, 

 with 56 hours (50%). The sunniest station was Castlebav, 

 Isle of Barra, which reported 70 hours of sunshine (61%). 



The mean temperature of the sea-water round the coast 

 ranged from 55"-4 at Teelin and Seafield to 45"-8 at Scar- 

 borough, Thunderstorms were reported at several stations, 

 and during the early part of the week there was mucli mist or 

 fog on the coast. 



The week ended May 27th was unsettled, with thunderstorms 

 and very heavy rains during the latter part. Temperature 

 was again above the normal in all districts, that with the 

 greatest excess being England, N.E., where the mean was 5"- 7 

 above the average. The highest reading reported was 81" at 

 Shaftesbury on the 27th. In Ireland. N.. the maxinunn was 

 only 66°, At Greenwich it was 7S\ The lowest minima for 

 the week were 29° at Balmoral and 30° at Llangammarch 

 Wells. On the grass the minimum fell to 24° at Llangam- 

 march, and to 25" at Crathes and at Greenwich. 



In spite of very heavy local falls, the week's rain-fall was 

 below the average in all districts, and at many stations the 

 week was rainless. In England, E,, the total for the week 

 was only 0-01 inch as compared with an average of 0-44 

 inch. The thunderstorm rains towards the end of the week 

 were very heavy and caused Hoods in many places. .'\t Great 

 Billing, Northants, as much as 2-0 inches fell in one day, and 

 at Bere Alston, Devon, 2-5 inches was collected in one-and-a- 

 half hours. 



Bright sunshine was in excess in most districts, but in 

 England, S.E.. and Ireland, X., it was normal ; while in Ireland, 

 S., it was slightly below The sunniest district was the English 

 Channel with a total duration of 73 hours (68%) while the 

 sunniest station was St. Mary's, Scilly, with 83-3 hours (76%). 

 At Westminster the total duration was 42 • 2 hours (38%). The 

 temperature of the sea-water ranged from 44 at Scarborough 

 to 58° at Scilly and Seafield. 



During the week ended June 3rd. the weather was fine and 

 bright, but with many thunderstorms. 



Temperature continued much above the average, and the 

 mean values in most cases were higher than any recorded 

 iri the corresponding week during the last thirty years. The 

 highest reading was 83° which was recorded at Fort William, 

 Balmoral and Aspatria. At several other stations readings of 

 80° or upwards were reported. The lowest of the minima 

 were 34° at Markree Castle on the 2Sth, and 35° at Balmoral on 

 the 29th, the same dav as that on which the maximum reached 

 83°, 



On the grass, frost was experienced in Scotland, E., and 

 Ireland, N., the lowest reading being 28' at Markree Castle. 

 Rainfall was deficient nearly everywhere, and at quite a 

 number of stations the week was rainless. Some very heavy 

 thunderstorm rains were, however, reported, 0-92 inch at 

 Rothamsted, 1-00 inch at Greenwich, and 2-86 inches at 



Epsom. Of this latter amount 2-44 inches fell between 

 5.20 p.m. and 6.10 p.m.. on May 31st. 



Sunshine was above the average at each of the reporting 

 stations. The sunniest district was England, N.W., where the 

 mean was 90 hours (79%), while the sunniest st.ations were 

 Newton Kigg, near Penrith, 97-4 hours (84%), Stornowav 

 96-8 hours (80%) and Rhyl 96 -7 hours (85%). At Westminster 

 the total duration was 73-9 hours (66%). The temperature of 

 the sea-water was higher than usual, except on the South- 

 West coast of England. The individual readings ranged 

 from 47 at .Aberdeen to 62° at Seafield. 



The weather during the week ended June 10th continued 

 very fine generally, though thunderstorms occurred in many 

 parts. 



Temperature was still much above the average, an excess 

 being reported from every station. England, S.W.,was thedistrict 

 with the highest mean temperature, 61 • 8, as compared with the 

 average for the same district during twenty-fi%e years of 55° -8, 

 The highest of the maxima were 84'' at Fulbeck, Lincolnshire, 

 and Greenwich, with 83° at Tottenham, Westminster and other 

 places. The lowest of the minima were 34° at Llangammarch 

 Wells, and 35 at Newton Rigg. Blackpool and Glencarron. 

 In nearly every case the lowest reading was recorded on June 

 10th. In the Channel Islands the minimum did not fall 

 below 52°. Frost was still experienced on the ground, readings 

 as low as 25° being reported at Llangammarch and Burnley, 

 with 27° at Southport and Wisley. Rainfall was in defect in 

 all districts except the English Channel, where the excess 

 was due to a thunderstorm r.ain on June 8th, which 

 in Guernsey yielded between 1-1 inches and 1-7 inches. In 

 \ery many places (eighty-one stations out of a total of 

 one hundred and seven stations) the week was rainless. 

 Bright sunshine was in excess in all districts, especially 

 in the South of England and the West of Scotland, where 

 the mean total for. the district amounted to 86 hours. 

 The stations reporting the greatest duration were Brighton 

 99-8 hours (88 %) and Pembroke, 98-5 hours (86 %l, .\t 

 several other stations totals e.xceeding 90 hours were recorded : 

 Tenby 95-5 hours (84 %,), Douglas 94-4 hours (81 %), and 

 Worthing and Eastbourne 93-5 hours (83%). At Westminster 

 the total was 76-4 hours (68 %). 



The sea temperature was much higher than in the corres- 

 ponding week of last year, and ranged from 49 ' at Lerwick to 

 67° at Seafield. 



MICROSCOPY. 



By A. W. Sheppard. E.R.M.S.. 



witli the assistance nf the folloicing inicroscopists : — 



.\tMHLR C. Banfield, .\rthlr Eari^anh. F.R.M.S, 



The Rev. E. \V. Bowf.ln, M..\. Richard T. Lewis. F.R.M.S. 



James Ki'Rton. Chas. F. Roi-sselet, F.R.M.S 



Charles H. Caffvn. D. J. Scolrfield, F.Z..S., K.R..\I..S. 



C. D. Soar, F.L..S., F.R.M.S. 



CYTOLOGY OF THE BACTERIA.— In the current 

 number of the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, 

 Vol. 56, pages 395-506, appears an important paper on the 

 above subject by C. Clifford Dobell. The author's main 

 object has been to decide the question, whether or not the 

 bacteria are nucleate cells. In making the investigations 

 detailed in the paper the author selected certain large bacteria 

 found in the intestines of some animals : they belong to four 

 different groups, namely, cocci, bacilli, spirilla and the 

 so-called " fusiform bacteria." The method of preparation 

 described as the " drop " method, is said to be applicable also to 

 small infusoria and other protists. A drop of the material 

 to be examined is taken up on a platinum loop and placed on 

 a slip, by its side is placed another drop of one per cent. 

 Osmicacid or formol (forty per cent, solution of formaldehyde). 

 These two drops are intimately mixed and spread in a thin 

 film. When dry, no heat being applied for that purpose, the 

 film is treated with absolute alcohol — this is necessary in the 

 case where formol is employed as formaldehyde fixes proto- 

 plasmic structures without precipitating thcni in an insoluble 

 form, 



