42 PLEASANT WA YS IN SCIENCE, 



rainfall increases in inverse, not in direct proportion, to 

 the extent of solar maculation. Dr. Hunter has shown to 

 the satisfaction of many that at Madras there is "a cycle 

 of rainfall corresponding with the period of solar macula- 

 tion." But Mr. E. D. Archibald, who is also thoroughly 

 satisfied that the sun-spots affect the weather, remarks that 

 Dr. Hunter has been somewhat hasty in arguing that the 

 same conditions apply throughout the whole of Southern 

 India. "This hasty generalization from the results of one 

 station situated in a vast continent, the rainfall of which 

 varies completely, both in amount and the season in which 

 it falls, according to locality, has been strongly contested 

 by Mr. Blanford, the Government Meteorologist, who, in 

 making a careful comparison of the rainfalls of seven 

 stations, three of which (Madras, Bangalore, and Mysore) 

 are in Southern India, the others being Bombay, Najpore, 

 Jubbulpore, and Calcutta, finds that, with the exception of 

 Najpore in Central India, which shows some slight approach 

 to the same cyclical variation which is so distinctly marked 

 in the Madras registers, the rest of the stations form com- 

 plete exceptions to the rule adduced for Madras, in many 

 of them the hypothetical order of relation being reversed. 

 Mr. Blanford, however, shows that, underlying the above 

 irregularities, a certain cyclical variation exists on the 

 average at all the stations, the amount, nevertheless, being 

 so insignificant (not more than 9 per cent, of the total falls) 

 that it could not be considered of sufficient magnitude to 

 become a direct factor in the production of famine. It thus 

 appears that the cycle of rainfall which is considered to be 

 the most important element in causing periodic famines has 

 only been proved satisfactorily for the town of Madras. It 

 may perhaps hold for the Carnatic and Northern Siccars, 

 the country immediately surrounding Madras, though per- 

 haps, owing to the want of rainfall registers in these dis- 

 tricts, evidence with regard to this part is still wanting." 

 On this Mr. Archibald proceeds to remark that, though Dr. 

 Hunter has been only partially successful, the value of his 



