Aug. 25, 1882.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



217 



WEATHER CHARTS FOR WEEK ENDING SUNDAY, AUG. 20. 



Sunday, Aug. ISxn. Monday, Aug. Htii. Tuesday, Aug. 1.5th. Wednesday, Aug. IGth. 



Thursday, Aug. ITth. 



Friday, Aug. 18th. 



Saturday, Aug. IQth. 



Sunday, Aug. 20th. 



In the above charts the dotted lines are " isobars," or lines of equal barometrical pressure, the values -which they indicate being 

 given in figures at the end, thus — 30'4. The shade temperature is given in figures for several places on the coast, and the weather is 



recorded in words. The arrows fly with the wind, the force of which is shown by the number of barbs and feathers, thus : — ^ , 



light ; >- , fresh or strong ; . > i > , a gale ; »* ^ , a violent pale ; signifies calm. The state of the sea is noted in capital 



letters. The * denotes the various stations. The hour for which each chart is drawn is 6 p.m. 



THE PUBLIC HEALTH. 



THE Kegislrar-GeneraVs returns for the past week show that 

 in London 2,G70 births and 1,528 deaths were registered. 

 Allowing for increase of population, the births exceeded by 21, 

 while the deaths were '18 below, tho average number in tho corre- 

 sponding week of the last ton years. The annua! death-rate from 

 all causes, which had slowly increased in tho four preceding weeks 

 from 177 to 19-2 per 1,000, further rose last week to 205. During 

 tho first seven weeks of the current quarter the death-rate averaged 

 only 18'6 per 1,000, against 215 and 236 in tho corresponding 

 periods of 1880 and 1881. The deaths attributed to diarrhoea (in- 

 cluding dyson'ory), which had been 103, 118, and H7 in the three 

 preceding weeks, further rose last week to 1 G 1-, hut were 83 below the 

 corrected average weekly number. Those IG !• deaths from dian-hcea 

 included 127 of infants under one year of age, and 29 of c'lildren 

 aged between ono and five years. Tho fatal cases of whooping- 

 cough, which had boon G3, 57, and It in the throe preceding weeks, 

 roso again to 52 last week, which wero 11 above tho corrected 

 weekly iiverago ; 5 occurred iii .^t. Pancras, l in St. Gcorge-in- 

 tho-East, 4 in Bermondsey and Rotherhithc, and 6 in Lambeth. 

 Tho deaths referred to diseafes of tho respiratory organs, which 

 had steadily increased in tho four preceding weeks from 157 to 223, 

 declined again to 197 lust week, but exceeded tho corrected vrcckly 



average by 30 ; lOG were attributed to bronchitis, and 45 to pneu- 

 monia. Twelve cases of suicide were registered, which exceeded 

 the corrected average by 4. 



BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



By W. J. II. Clarke. 



THE PROMINENT MOTHS. 



AMONG the division of Lepidoptera known as the Cii»pWa'«, 

 we find a very interesting and peculiar class of moths styled 

 " Prominents." They derive their name from a small projecting 

 tuft of scales on the lower margin of tho upper wings, which standa 

 out very prominently when the insect is at rest. 



In England, twelve species in all have, up to tho present, been 

 found, but many are of such extreme rarity that very few cabinets 

 possess authentic British-caught specimens of all tho varieties. 



Tho first in order is tho Plumed Prominent (PlUnphova Plufm- 

 gera), a very handsome but rare insect. It has been found in 

 Buckinghamshii-o in tho month of October, but only on very few 

 Tho fore wings ore semi-transparent, of a raw sionna 



