Meteorology 665 



six years 1854 to 1859 inclusive, embracing nearly two thou- 

 sand pages, together with a volume covering very nearly the 

 same period of time published by the War Department, 

 probably form an unsurpassed body of materials for the 

 investigation of meteorological phenomena over so wide an 

 extent of country." * 



The corps of observers was in many respects a remarkable 

 body, and a cursory examination of the list shows the names 

 not only of men eminent in science at that time, but also of 

 men who have since become noted, and perhaps whose first 

 contributions to science consisted in meteorological observa- 

 tions. The training that was thus acquired developed the 

 powers of close observation and had much to do with the suc- 

 cess of the individual that came later. Indeed it could hardly 

 be otherwise. Only a student of nature would be intrusted 

 with the proper filling out of the "Registry of Periodical Phe- 

 nomena." The botanist would watch for the first budding of 

 plants, and the young naturalist would be equally alert to re- 

 cord new facts in regard to animal life. A few names taken 

 from the hundreds on record are therefore of special interest. 

 They include Cleveland Abbe, Michigan, i ; 2 Major J. W. 

 Abert, South Carolina, i ; Spencer F. Baird, Pennsylvania, 

 i ; Frank Baker, Illinois, 2 ; Adolf F. Bandelier, Illinois, 5 ; 

 William M. Beauchamp, New York, 9 ; Lorin Blodget, Penn- 

 sylvania, 3 ; William C. Bond, Massachusetts, 4 ; Parker 

 Cleaveland, Maine, 4 ; John L. Campbell, Virginia, 2 ; Alexis 

 Caswell, Rhode Island, 18; John Chappelsmith, Illinois, 22; 

 P. A. Chadbourne, Massachusetts and Connecticut, 2; George 

 H. Cook, New Jersey, 5 ; Doctor Elliott Coues, Arizona, i ; 

 W. H. Dall, Alaska, 2 ; Reverend J. Owen Dorsey, Dakota, 

 i ; John D. Easter, Georgia, 3 ; Doctor George Engelmann, 



1 " Smithsonian Report," 1864, page 26. during which continuous observations were 



2 This figure indicates the number of years carried on, 



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