Junk, 1912. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



235 



Binninghain and 21^ at Ranceby and Wisley. The earth 

 temperature was only slightly above the normal. 



The week was very dry, the rainfall being less than the 

 average in all districts e.vcept Ireland. S., where it was 0-07 

 inch in excess. In Scotland, E., the Midland Counties, and 

 England, E.. and N.W., no rain was reported at any station 

 throughout the week, and in all parts except in Ireland the 

 amounts collected were very small. 



Sunshine, on the other hand, was in excess in all districts 

 except Ireland, X. In Jersey the amount registered amounted 

 to a daily average of 10-7 hours or 78 per cent, of its possible 

 duration. 



In Westminster the value was 6-3 hours per day, 45 per 

 cent., while at Brighton it was 9-0 hours (65°t>). 



The sea temperature varied from 42° at Berwick to 55° at 

 Ballintrae. 



The weather of the week ended .April 27th continued very 

 fine as a whole, although some rain fell in Ireland and Scotland 

 early in the week, and thunderstorms were reported from Ireland 

 towards the end of the period. Temperature was still above 

 the average in all districts, and as a rule to a considerable 

 extent. Headings of 70" or upwards were reported in all the 

 districts except Ireland, N., the highest readings being 72' at 

 at Tottenham and Bawtry. Readings below freezing point were 

 observed in two districts only, Scotland, E.. and England, S.E.. 

 the minima being 29° at Balmoral and West Linton, and 

 30° at .Marlborough. The temperature at depths of one foot 

 and four feet below the surface was again above the average. 



Rainfall was extremely slight. In England, E., and the 

 Midland Counties the week was rainless at each station for the 

 second week in succession. 



In England S.W., also, no rain was reported. In all the districts 

 there were some stations at which no rain fell during the week. 



Bright sunshine was in excess in all districts without excep- 

 tion. In six of the districts the daily average exceeded 

 10 hours the maximum value being 11-3 hours in England. 

 S.E., or 79 per cent, of the possible duration. 



The South Coast of England was extraordinarily sunny and 

 while Worthing, Ventnor and Bournemouth each reported a 

 daily average of 12-0 hours (S5%), Portsmouth had 12- 1 hours 

 (86°^) and Hastings 12-3 hours (87%). At Westminster the 

 daily average was 10-8 hours (76%). 



The temperature of the sea water round the coasts was 

 still above the normal, the mean values ranging from 43" -4 at 

 Berwick to 53 -"2 at Plymouth. 



The weather of the week ended May 4th was dry at first, 

 but towards the end of the week welcome showers were 

 experienced in most districts. Temperature was not far from 

 the normal except in Ireland and the English Channel where 

 it was somewhat in excess. The highest readings reported 

 during the week were 70° at Tottenham and 69° at March- 

 mont. on May 2nd. The minimum were below the freezing 

 point in every district except the English Channel. The 

 lowest readings were 24° at Llangammarch Wells, and 26° at 

 Marlborough on the 30th April. On the grass the lowest 

 readings were 16° at Newton Rigg and 17" at Wisley. The 

 temperature of the soil at one foot and at four feet continued 

 above the average in all districts. 



Rainfall was less than the average in all districts, and at 

 Durham, Tunbridge Wells and Ventnor the week was rain- 

 less. In the English Channel the value for the week was only 

 0-05 inches, as compared with an average over twenty-five 

 years of 0-45 inches, or one-ninth of the usual amount. 



Bright sunshine was in defect as a rule, but in Scotland, N. 

 it was more than the average by 0-3 hours a day, and in 

 Scotland, W. it was normal. The sunniest district was the 

 English Channel with a daily average of 7-5 hours (52%). In 

 Scotland, E. and the Midland Counties the average daily 

 amount was only 3-5 hours. In Westminster the daily mean 

 was 4-8 hours t35%). 



The sea temperature was again higher than usual, and the 

 mean values ranged from 44° -0 at Berwick to 54° -8 at Scilly. 



The week ended May 11th wae very unusually warm, with 

 light rainfall and scanty sunshine. Thunderstorms occurred 

 on several days, and much fog was obser\ c-d round our West 

 and South coasts. 



Temperature was above the average in all districts, the 

 excess amounting to 9° in England, E., where maxima of 82° 

 were observed on the 11th at Cromer, Norwich, Geldeston 

 and Cambridge. 



The highest reading reported was 83° at Greenwich, also on 

 the 11th. Readings of 81° were recorded at Yarmouth, 

 Raunds, and Camden Square. On the other hand, in 

 Scotland, W., the maximum was only 64°. The lowest reading 

 for the week was 31° at Strathpeffer, on the 5th, but at no 

 other station was frost observed at four feet above the ground. 



In more than half the districts no readings below 40° were 

 reported, and in the English Channel the minimum was 47°. 

 Sharp night frosts on the ground were observed, the lowest 

 readings being 25° at Crathes and 27° at Birmingham. The 

 temperature of the soil was still above the normal. 



Rainfall was above the average in Scotland and in England. 

 S.W., but was below elsewhere, except in the Enghsh Channel 

 where it was normal. In Scotland, N., the amount was more 

 than double the average and at Lerwick the total for the week 

 exceeded two and a half inches. 



Sunshine was deficient at every station except .Aberdeen. 

 In England, S.W., the mean value was 1-2 hours per day. or 

 5-6 hours below the average. At Aberdovey. .\beryst%vyth 

 and Pembroke the duration was less than half an hour per 

 daj'. At Westminster the mean for the week was 3-8 hours 

 per day, or 25 per cent, of the possible duration. The sunniest 

 station was Felixstowe with a daily average of 6-6 hours (44%). 



The temperature of the sea water was still above the 

 average, and the means ranged from 45°- 2 at Berwick to 

 55° -2 at Plymouth. 



RAINFALL OF APRIL.— The rainfall of April. 1912, was 

 remarkable. In the West of Scotland the month was excep- 

 tionally wet, some places reporting totals of upwards of 10 

 inches. The East of Scotland on the other hand was very 

 dry having less than one inch for the most part, less than half 

 an inch round the coast south of Aberdeen, and less than 0- 1 

 inch round the Firth of Tay. In Ireland the totals were not 

 far from the average, but in Engl.and and Wales the month 

 proved to be the driest ."April on record. .At Camden Square 

 Dr. H. K. Mill, of the British Rainfall Organization, recorded 

 only ■ 04 inches which was the lowest amount collected there 

 in .April since the record began in 1858. With one exception 

 February, 1891, 0-01 inch, it was the lowest monthly total of 

 that long series. Rainfall records are available at one or 

 more London stations from 1781. and during this period of 

 one hundred and thirty-two years only two Aprils (1817 and 

 1840 1 had less than 0- 10 inch of rain, and these had 0-06 inches 

 in each case. 



Of twenty very dry Aprils it has been noted that in nineteen 

 cases the following July was also very dry. Itwill.be interest- 

 ing to note if this sequence holds good in 1912, and if July 

 this year is exceptionally dry in England and Wales. 



During a kite ascent at Brighton, carried out under the 

 direction of Mr. S. H. R. Salmon on May 11th, a remarkable 

 rise of temperature with increase of height was observed. .At 

 the ground level the temperature of the air was 55°, but at a 

 height of three thousand feet, instead of the usual fall of about 

 10°, there was a rise of 20° registered. 



ECLIPSE OF THE S U N .—Observations taken at 

 Greenwich during the Solar Eclipse on April 17th showed 

 that the temperature of the air fell from 58°- 2 at 10.55 a.m. to 

 52°-0 at 0.20 p.m.. and rose again to 56-7 at 1.45 p.m. The 

 solar radiation as recorded by a black bulb thermometer fell 

 from 104°-0 at 11.2 a.m. to 56-8 at 0.20 p.m., and rose again 

 to lor-9 at 1.43 p.m. 



MICROSCOPY. 



By F.R.M.S. 



INSECTS' EGGS have long been favourite low power 

 objects with microscopists on account of their beautiful forms 

 and delicate markings. Illustrations of a great many have 

 been published in works devoted to entomology and microscopy. 



