A HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



between periods of numerous sun-spots and seasons 

 of excessive rain in India. 



That some such connection does exist seems in- 

 trinsically probable. But the modern meteorologist, 

 learning wisdom of the past, is extremely cautious 

 about ascribing casual effects to astronomical phenom- 

 ena. He finds it hard to forget that until recently all 

 manner of climatic conditions were associated with 

 phases of the moon ; that not so very long ago showers 

 of falling-stars were considered " prognostic" of certain 

 kinds of weather; and that the "equinoctial storm" 

 had been accepted as a verity by every one, until 

 the unfeeling hand of statistics banished it from the 

 earth. 



Yet, on the other hand, it is easily within the possi- 

 bilities that the science of the future may reveal asso- 

 ciations between the weather and sun-spots, auroras, 

 and terrestrial magnetism that as yet are hardly 

 dreamed of. Until such time, however, these phe- 

 nomena must feel themselves very grudgingly ad- 

 mitted to the inner circle of meteorology. More and 

 more this science concerns itself, in our age of concen- 

 tration and specialization, with weather and climate. 

 Its votaries no longer concern themselves with stars or 

 planets or comets or shooting-stars once thought the 

 very essence of guides to weather wisdom ; and they are 

 even looking askance at the moon, and asking her to 

 show cause why she also should not be excluded from 

 their domain. Equally little do they care for the in- 

 terior of the earth, since they have learned that the 

 central emanations of heat which Mairan imagined as a 

 main source of aerial warmth can claim no such dis- 



