far removed from the disturbing influence of Continents, 
and then to take a mean of all the observations. 
“The Adelaide and Brisbane observations would seem 
to indicate a rainfall-periodicity altogether independent 
of a cyclone-periodicity, both being apparently the natural 
consequences of one and the same law. But it would be 
rash to say more at present, and I should wish it to be 
understood that the object of this paper is simply to 
stimulate further inquiry.” 
Since Mr. Meldrum’s results have reached me, I have 
tested the Cape and Madras rainfall, to see if the same 
result is to be got from them, and with the following 
results :— . 
Cape. Inches. 
f 1847 ae 22'4) 
Max. 1848 bine 23'2 res 
( 1849 OV ee a 230 
1854 wet apts 20'°0 
Min 1855 nee “24°5 ¢ 63'9 
1856 raat e 194 
1859 Tae 36°7 
Max. 1859 Peet 29'I ( 91'2 
1851 25°4 
1866 ag 19'2 
Min. 1867 =ase 22'9 ¢ 62'0 
1868 J 199 
1869 32°3 t nt 
Max. | 1870 28° 62°3 
(For two years only) 
From the Madras observations at my disposal only one 
maximum and one minimum can be given :— 
Cape. Inches. 
1843 ce ice & 410 ) 
Min. 1844 cy nt ay 45°0? 125 
1845 Rae 39'0 | 
1847 cera 81'0 
Max. 1848 oe 40°0 ( 175 
1849 irons 54'0 
Surely here is evidence enough, evidence which should 
no longer allow us to deceive ourselves as to the present 
state of meteorology. A most important cycle has been 
discovered, analogous in most respects to the Saros 
discovered by the astronomers of old, Indeed, in more 
respects than one, may the eleven-yearly period be called 
the Saros of meteorology, and as the astronomers of 
old were profoundly ignorant of the true cause of the 
Saros period, so the meteorologists of the present day 
are profoundly ignorant of the true nature of the con- 
nection between the sun and the earth. 
What, therefore, is necessary in order to discover the 
true nature of this nexus? Two things are necessary, and 
they are these. In the first place, we must obtain an 
accurate knowledge of the currents of the sun, and 
secondly, we must obtain an accurate knowledge of the 
currents of the earth. The former of these demands the 
united efforts of photography and spectrum analysis, and 
the second of these demands the pursuit of meteorology 
as a physical science, and notas a mere collection of 
weather statistics. When these demands are met—and 
in spite of the Mrs. Partingtons who are endeavouring to 
prevent this, they will soon be met—we shall have a 
Science of Meteorology placed on a firm basis—the 
Meteorology of the Future. 
) J. NORMAN LOCKYER 
a” 
NATURE 
Iot 
HARTING’S HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS 
A Handbook of British Birds. Showing the distribution 
of the resident and migratory species in the British 
Islands, with an Index to the records of the rarer visi- 
tants. By J. E. Harting, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 8vo. Pp. 198. 
(London ; Van Voorst.) 
R. HARTING’S “ Handbook of British Birds” will 
be of much use as an easy work of reference to 
the many students of the feathered tribes of these islands, 
although it can only be employed as a supplement to one 
of the standard authorities on the same subject. It con- 
sists of two parts—first, a list of the British birds, properly 
so called, being residents, periodical migrants, and annual 
visitants ; and, secondly, a list of rare and accidental 
visitants. In the former part a short account of the dis- 
tribution of the species within the British Islands is given ; 
in the latter a complete list of a//the recorded occurrences 
of the species within the same limits. In the latter cas 
the list seems to have been very carefully compiled, and 
will be of great use to the collector, who, without it, would 
have to refer to a dozen different journals and periodicals, 
in order to ascertain how often any “rare visitant” had 
been previously noticed. 
Mr. Harting’s estimate of the total number of “ British 
birds,” ordinarily so-called, is 395, being 43 more than 
that of the third edition of Yarrell’s History. “ Of these, 
in round numbers, 130 are Residerts, 100 Periodical 
Migrants, and 30 Annual Visitants, the remainder beinz 
Rare and Accidental Visitants.” The last-named cate- 
gory, it will be observed, forms a large proportion of the 
total number of species usually included in the British 
list, being at the preseat time 135 out of 395, or rather 
more than one-third of the whole, And this is a propor- 
tion which is certain to be considerably increased as time 
progresses, not a year passing without the arrival of one 
or more stragglers from distant lands, the occurrence of 
which has not been previously recorded. 
The composition of the “ Accidental ” list is a matter of 
considerable interest. Mr. Harting classes 14 as Asiatic, 
11 as African, and no less than 43 as American. “It is 
extremely difficult,” our author remarks, “ to believe that 
the non-aquatic species of the last category have actually 
journeyed across the Atlantic, and performed a journey of 
1,700 miles on the shortest route, vid Newfoundland ; 
but that most of them have actually done so seems proved 
by the fact that they have never been met with in Green- 
land, Iceland, and the Faroe Isles (the only countries 
through which they would otherwise have passed by a 
change of route) ; and that many which have thus found 
their way to England or Ireland (as, for example, Age/eus 
pheniceus, Cuculus americanus, CeryleAlcyon, Egialitis 
vociferus, Totanus solitarius, Tringa bonapartit, Botaurus 
lentiginosus, and others) have never been met with on 
any part of the European continent. As might be ex- 
pected, at least half the American species found in this 
country belong to the orders Grallatores and Natatores, 
while of the fourteen species of Insessorial birds, none of 
them, with the exception of Ageleus phaniceus, has oc- 
curred half-a-dozen times. This plainly shows that their 
appearance on this side of the Atlantic is the merest 
accident, and not the result of any continued and suc- 
cessful attempt at migration, In some instances, at 
