Dec. 24, 1 885 J 



NA TURE 



the rays of sunlight pass directly through these apertures 

 and are received on the sensitised surface of a photo- 

 graphic paper or chart placed inside. By reason of the 

 earth's rotation, the spot of sunlight thus obtained travels 

 over the chart in a more or less curved line (according to 

 the season), marking its path by a clearly-defined blue 

 trace, which can be rendered permanent by simply im- 



mersing the paper for a few minutes in cold water. The 

 position of the sun in relation to the instrument at the 

 different hours of the day will be understood by reference 

 to the figure, which is a cross-section through the cylinder ; 

 the dotted circle shows the position of the prepared chart, 

 The screen, cd, is for the purpose of cutting off the rays 

 from the eastern aperture at noon, and at the same time 



E. 



W. 



allowing them to pass through the western aperture ; it 

 also forms a protection from rain and difl^used light. 



Observations made with this instrument prove that 

 photography is well adapted for recording the duration of 

 sunshine, and under some conditions it has advantages 

 over the burning method. At those times when the 

 atmosphere is perfectly clear the two methods give similar 



results, but when the sun is partially obscured by haze or 

 thin cirrus cloud there is a difference in the records 

 obtained. The result of a month's comparative observa- 

 tions, taken in June last, gave an excess of 1 1 per cent, of 

 sunshine recorded by the photographic process, this 

 variation being mainly due to a hazy atmosphere near the 

 horizon about the times of sunrise and sunset. 



METEOROLOGY IN THE NEW ENGLAND 

 STATES'" 



'T'HE New England Meteorological Society was founded 

 ■'■ in June, 1884, with a membership of 9, which at the 

 close of its first year had risen to 95. Notwithstanding 

 this very modest commencement, it has succeeded, 

 largely through the generous co-operation of friends who 

 have from time to time contributed liberally to its re- 

 sources, in keeping its expenses within its income, while 

 at the same time it has regularly published its Monthly 

 Bulletin of eight pages, including a weather-map for the 

 month ; largely added to its observing stations ; and 

 largely extended the sphere of its operations. The annual 

 fee for membership, which constitutes the whole income 

 of the Society, is three dollars. 



During its first year, ending last October, the Society 

 has addressed itself more particularly to the securing of 

 a corps of reliable observers of meteorological pheno- 

 mena, with special attention to rainfall and temperature ; 

 the publication of the Monthly Bulletin ; the dissemina- 

 tion of the daily indications of the U.S. Signal Service ; 

 the local display of weather-flags ; and the special 



' BulUtin of the New England Meteorological Society, Nos. i. to xii. 

 Nov. 1884, to Oct. 1S85). " 



investigation of thunderstorms. The first number of the 

 Bulletin contained reports from forty-five observers ; but, 

 so vigorously was this important branch of the Society 

 worked out, that in September the number had risen to 

 123 observers. The greatest attention has been given to 

 secure uniformity in the instruments and methods of 

 observation. In the last-published Bulletin the amount 

 of precipitation and the mean temperature are given in 

 Table I. for thirty-five places, these being at the same 

 time compared with the averages of previous years, which 

 range from eleven to seventy- four years. Table II. gives 

 a succinct summary of the results of the observations of 

 temperature, pressure, humidity, and precipitation at the 

 123 stations, and the weather-map shows graphically the 

 precipitation and range of temperature for the month. 



A striking feature of the Society's work is its hearty 

 co-operation with the U.S. Signal Service in the dis- 

 semination of daily forecasts of the weather, and the 

 local display of weather-flags. A member of the Signal 

 Corps has been assigned to this duty under the Society's 

 control, with the gratifying result that local weather flags 

 are daily displayed in upwards of too cities and towns 

 of New England. 



The special investigation of thimderstorms has been 

 conducted under the supervision of the Secretary, Mr. Well 



