28 



POPULAR SCIENCE I^TEWS. 



[Fkhhuary, 1S89. 



inches in 1873. The highest point in this locality 

 was 30.80 in Dec. 1S87. making the extreme range 

 of 2.1 inches, causing a difference of over one ton's 

 atmospheric burden or support on the human body. 

 The sum of the variations the last month was large, 

 being 8.87 inches, giving an average daily move- 

 ment of .286, while this average in 15 Decembers 

 has been only 2.61, with extremes of .190 and .329. 

 In seven instances the last month the daily move- 

 ments were half an inch or more ; reaching .98 inch 

 on the i8th, with .70 on the 17th, when the single 

 rainfall was 4.46 inches. 



WINDS. 



The direction of the wind in 93 observations gave 

 12 N., I S., o E., 42 W., 6 N. E., 18 N. W., o S. E., 

 and 14 S. W. — an excess of 21 northerly and 68 

 we.sterly over the southerly and easterly, and indi- 

 cating the average direction for the month to be W. 

 17^^ 10' N. The westerly winds in December have 

 uniformly prevailed over the easterly by an average 

 of 55.16 observations, and the northerly over the 

 southerly, with tAvo exceptions, by an average of 

 18.68, Indicating the approximate general direction 

 in December to be W. 18"^ 43' N. The relative pro- 

 gressive distance travelled by the wind the last 

 month was 71.17 units, and during the last 19 De- 

 cembers 1 107 such units, an average of 58.26, show- 

 ing less opposing winds the last month than usual. 

 Strong winds were noted on the nth and 28th. 



uco 



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 q>q T-Onnq q^ T*? 



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The above table presents the average results of a 

 series of years in five departments of meteorological 

 observation. The longer the series the nearer the 

 appeoximate average. 



The Temperature of the past year was nearly half 

 a degree below the average of the last 18 years. 

 The year 187S was the warmest on my record, with 

 an average of 49 57'-'. while 1875 was the coldest 

 with an average of 45.15"^. The last January was 

 the coldest with one exception in 18 years. Novem- 

 ber and December were extremely warm months 

 for the season. August was the warmest month of 

 1888, usurping the place of July. October was the 

 coldest in iS years, without an exception. 



The Face of the Skij was remarkable for cloudiness, 

 having been exceeded but twice in 18 years. The 

 extremes of fair sky during this time have been 47.7 

 and 61.8 per cent. May was remarkably cloudy, 

 also August and the autumnal months. January 

 was severely cold but fair. 



The Precipitation also has been most remarkable, 

 as already shown by comments under December. 

 The table clearly exhibits the monthly excess or de- 

 ficiency, while the footing of the column shows an 

 excess of 17.78 inches over the average year, while 

 the extremes have been 32.26 inches in 1883, and 

 64-40 inches in 18S8. 



The Pressure needs little remark except to notice 

 the average low barometer in March and April, and 

 the high range of September and October. The 

 extremes of the yearly average has been 29 914 and 

 -9 993 inches. The yearly extremes of average daily 

 movement have been .158 and .211 inch. 



The -Wiyuls have been far more northerly than the 

 average. Only two months, April and December, 

 were less northerly, while the entire year was 

 23 1-4° more northerly than usual, and together 

 with the excessive cloudiness, tended to render the 

 year cool. Not a single month the past year gave 

 an excess of southerly winds, while we usually have 

 three to five and even eight months with such ex- 

 cess. D. W. 



Natick, Jan. 7, 1889. 



[Specially cominited for The Popular Science News.] 

 ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR FEB- 

 RUARY 1889. 



Moon's I'hoses. — First quarter, Feb'y 7, 3h. 58m,, 

 P. M, Full Moon, Feb'y 15, 5h, 17m., P. M. 

 Last quarter Feb'y ^2, 6h. 55m., P. M. Times are 

 Eastern Standard. 



The I'lnnets. — At the beginning of the month 

 Mercury has just passed its greatest elongation, and 

 may be seen for a day or two soon after sunset, near 

 the western horizon. It rapidly approaches the sun, 

 passes inferior conjunction on Feb'y 14, and by the 

 end of the month is well out toward its greatest 

 western elongation, but cannot l)e well seen as a 

 morning star because it is too far south of the sun. 

 Venus is still an evening star, and on Feb'y 18 

 reaches its greatest eastern elongation not quite 47". 

 It is gradually Increasing in brilliancy, but will not 

 reach Its maximum until March. It will, however, 

 be bright enough to be seen on any clear day in full 

 sunlight with the naked eye, provided one knows 

 just when to look for it. It generally is not a very 

 easy object to find, but when It is found one wonders 

 how he could have missed it, it is .so bright and con- 

 spicuous. Mars is still an evening star but is grow- 

 ing gradually fainter and sets about two hours after 

 the sun. Jupiter is a morning star, rising at a little 

 after 4 A. M., Feb'y i, and at about 3 A. M., on 

 Feb'y 28. It is in the constellation Sagittarius 

 and moves eastward about 5° during the month. 

 Saturn comes to opposition with the sun on the 

 morning of Feb'y 5, and will then be on the merid- 

 ian about midnight. At the end of the month 



will be on the meridian at about loh. 30m., P. M. 

 It is In the western part of the constellation Leo. 

 and during the month moves about 2'^ westward. 

 It Is 8'' to 10" west and north of the first magnitude 

 star Regulus {Alpha Leonis.) Uranus is in the 

 constellation Virgo and moves slowly westward 

 during the month. It is about 3- north, and a little 

 east of the brightest star of the constellation Spica 

 {Alpha Virginius). Neptune is about 5^^' south and 

 a little east of the Pleiades. 



Lake Forest, III., Jan. 6, 1888. 



LITERARY NOTES. 



A Pictorial History of Ancient Pharmacy, by Her- 

 mann Peters. Translated from the German by 

 Dr. William Netter. Published by G. P. Engle- 

 hard & Co., Chicago. Price $2.cx). 

 This is a most interesting and novel work, which 

 every druggist and physician will read with pleasure 

 and profit. It is profusely illustrated with repro- 

 ductions of old wood-cuts, representing the progress 

 of the art of pharmacy from the earliest times, and 

 describes at length the mediieval superstitions re- 

 lating to medicine, besides giving a complete his- 

 tory of its development into the more legitimate 

 science of the present time. We can recommend 

 the book to all Interested in the subject. 



Chemical Lecture Notes, by Peter T. iVusten, Ph. D., 

 Is published by John Wiley & Sons, New York, at 

 $1.00. It is a most excellent little handbook, and Is 

 especially designed to help the student over the 

 difiiculties which the author's experience as a teacher 

 have shown him to be the most troublesome to the 

 average student. Although not claiming to be a 

 complete text-hook of the science, the student of 

 chemistry will find it a most valuable assistant. 



They also publish a new edition of Ruskin's Se- 

 same and Lilies, at $1.00, which has been revised by 

 the author and supplied with copious explanatory 

 notes. It is especially adapted for study by classes, 

 and as a reading book. 



An excellent book for boys can be found in 

 Stories of I'eisons and Places in Aincriea. by Helen 

 A. Smith, and published by George Routledge & 

 Sons, New York, at $1.50. The leading facts of 

 American history are told in a very readable style, 

 which amuses while it Instructs, and it will be found 

 fully as interesting as the less profitable fictitious 

 stories, so dear to the heart of the average boy. 



D. C. Heath & Co. of Boston also publish a hook 

 for l>oys, entitled Testa, by an Italian writer. Paolo 

 Mantegazza. We are afraid the style is rather too 

 heavy and formal, and the hero too nearly a paragon 

 of perfection, to suit the taste of American boys, but 

 it contains many hints upon education and training 

 which parents may find profitable. 



They al.so publish Notes on the Training of 

 Children, by Mrs. Frank Malleson. and a most ex- 

 cellent Illustrated Primer, bv Sarah Fidler. 



The Vest-Pocliet Anatomist (founded upon Gray), 

 by C. Henri Leonard. M. D., is imblished bv tiie 

 Illustrated Medical Journal Co. of Detroit, Mich., 

 at $1.00. The new fourteenth edition of this work 

 has been increased in size by the addition of over 

 one hundred pages of text, and one hundred engrav- 

 ings; the page of the book has also lieen somewhat 

 enlarged to acconmiodate better the engra\ings. 

 Besides being a very popular dissecting room com- 

 panion. It has become also a very popular surgical 

 case companion for the practitioner, since tiie illus- 

 trations show at a glance (being photo-engraved 

 from the English cuts of Gray) the positions of all 

 the important blood vessels, nerves, muscles and 

 viscera. 



A. Lovell & Co., New York, publish Greene's 

 Languai/e Half ISlanks, (15 cents) wliich are designed 

 as an aid to the student of granmiar and composi- 

 tion. Teachers interested in the subject should send 

 for a sample copy. 



Pamphlets, etc., received: Mineral Resources of 

 the United States, by David T. Dav, published by 

 the U. S. Geological Survey. Washington: The 

 Scientific Work of .lohns Hopkins I'liirersity: Leaf- 

 lets and Monographs of the Industrial Ediicaiion 

 Association : .lournal of the Elishii Mitchell Scientific 

 Society, anil the Biennial liejiort of the Alahama 

 Insane Hospital. 



