THE WEATHER CYCLE 5! 



many meteorologists still adopt an agnostic 

 attitude in regard to the existence of any 

 regular periodicity controlling the weather of 

 the world. 



But the fact that inconsistent lengths are 

 assigned to the weather cycle merely shows 

 that there is no simple weather cycle of precise 

 and unvarying length, which affects the whole 

 world, in the same way, at the same time. But 

 there is no reason to expect any such crude and 

 simple arrangement. To search for such is to 

 chase a Will o' the Wisp. The weather of our 

 infinitely complex earth is not likely to be con- 

 trolled by any governor so simple in its action. 

 It does not follow that there is no system at all. 

 If there be a system, we must expect one which 

 is subtle, refined, and difficult to trace. 



CHAPTER I. BRUCKNER'S WEATHER PERIOD. 



As the possibility of a weather cycle is the 

 fundamental problem of meteorology, let us 

 look at some of the evidence that has been 

 collected to determine its existence. Owing to 

 the complexity of our world and the delicacy of 

 our atmosphere, minor variations are sure to be 

 so numerous and apparently capricious, that a 

 vast mass of material must be examined in order 

 to secure satisfactory results, and to eliminate 

 local irregularities. The most serious attempt 



