608 
It will be seen that the mode is the same in each case, but the 
means are very different. To ordinary observation, the two sets of 
flowers looked exactly alike, and the demonstration of a differ- 
ence in the average, while not at all extraordinary, is interesting. 
No doubt such differences exist in all organisms and all characters, 
and one can easily see how, under certain circumstances, they 
may have an important bearing upon the question of survival. 
The great variability no doubt indicates that the number of rays 
is zo¢ at present of much importance to the Verbesina ; and no 
doubt those organs which have become variable for this 
reason, but suddenly become of importance through changed 
conditions, afford the best material for selection. In other 
words, evolution will proceed fastest when there are changes in 
the survival-value of organs. While examining the Verbesina, I 
found on the undersides of the leaves a new species of spinning 
mite (Ze/vanychus verbesinae) ; a little creature about half a 
millimetre long, pale yellowish, with two scarlet spots on the 
anterior part of the body, and irregular black spots (pertaining 
to the soft parts) arranged) somewhat in the form of a crescent. 
The first pair of legs is somewhat more than half the length of 
the animal; mandibular plate with the sides as in 7. géoverz, but 
the end rounded; hairs of body moderate, on very small 
tubercles. Further particulars will be given elsewhere. 
T. D. A. COCKERELL. 
East Las Vegas, New Mexico, U.S.A., September 17. 
THE INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL 
COMMITTEE. 
F we come to consider the work of the International 
Meteorological Committee and its predecessor, the 
Permanent Committee of the Vienna Congress, it will be 
impossible to deal with the subject without taking notice 
of all the meetings, whether Congresses or Conferences, 
from which the committees above named took their rise. 
It may here be explained that Congresses are convened 
through diplomatic channels ; Conferences are brought 
together by private invitation to meteorologists of repute. 
The first attempt to convene an international meeting 
was in 1845, when a Conference was held at Cambridge 
on the occasion of the meeting of the British Association 
in that year. This was attended by Dove, Kupffer, 
von Lamont, Adolph Erman and some other foreigners, 
and of course by the leading meteorologists of England. 
The difficulties in introducing uniformity in land obser- 
vations were found to be too serious for definite arrange- 
ments to result. 
This was followed, in 1853, by the Brussels Confer- 
ence, which was instigated by Maury. It dealt with the 
Meteorology of the Sea, and its action met with general 
acceptance among maritime nations. It may be said 
that our own Meteorological Office was an outcome of 
this Conference. 
In 1863 Dove endeavoured to convene a Conference 
on Land Meteorology. At the meeting of the Swiss 
Naturforscher Verein, he invited the meteorologists of 
Austria, France, Italy and Spain, but the invitation was 
not generally accepted. 
Nothing definite, however, was done for Land Meteoro- 
logy until Weather Telegraphy took its rise, about the 
year 1860, when the demand from each nation for regular 
intelligence from adjacent countries rendered it impos- 
sible for any Government to ignore the subject absolutely. 
Still, however, every country continued to deal with its 
Climatology as seemed right in its own eyes. 
This was the state of affairs when, in 1872, Profs. 
Bruhns (Leipzig), Jelinek (Vienna) and Wild (St. Peters- 
burg) issued a general invitation to a Conference, to be 
held at Leipzig coincidently with the meeting of the 
German Naturforscher Verein. This Conference was a 
signal success. It was attended by 52 members, and 
from it all subsequent meetings took their rise. 
There have been in all seventeen of these meetings. 
NO. 1720, VOL. 66] 
NATURE 
[OcroBER 16, 1902 
1872. Leipzig, Conference. 1882. Copenhagen, meeting of 
1873. Vienna, Congress. I.M.C. 
Do. First meeting of Per- 1885. Paris, meeting of I.M.C. 
manent Committee. 1888. Zurich, meeting of 
1874. London, Maritime Con- I.M.C. 
ference. 1891. Munich, Conference. 
Utrecht, meeting of P.C. 1894. Upsala, meeting of 
1876. London, meeting of P.C. I.M.C. 
1878. Utrecht, meeting of P.C. 1896. Paris, Conference. 
1879. Rome, Congress. 1899. St. Petersburg, meeting 
1880. Berne, meeting of Int. of I.M.C. 
Met. Committee. 1901. Paris, meeting of I.M.C. 
An elaborate ~ésumé of the resolutions at all the meet- 
ings, down to the Munich Conference, was printed by 
the late Prof. Wild in vol. xvi. of his “ Repertorium ftir 
Meteorologie.” 
In dealing with the action taken at these several 
gatherings, it is found that many of the resolutions 
passed at early meetings were materially modified on 
subsequent consideration, and this is especially the case 
with reference to instruments and their observation. 
| It is therefore proposed to mention only the final out- 
come. 
The Barometer.—The use of aneroids as independent 
instruments was condemned, and it was decided that 
all standard barometers, at Central Offices, should be 
compared with the standard barometers of the Bureau 
International des Poids et Mesures at Paris. 
As regards barometer corrections, the readings in 
climatological tables are to be given unreduced to sea 
level. It is desirable to apply the Gravity correction, 
and at all events it is to be stated in the tables if this 
correction has been applied or not, and what is its 
amount. 
The Thermcmeter.—In this case too the standards at 
Central Offices are to be compared with the standard 
air thermometer of the Bureau International. 
No recommendation has been made on the subject of 
thermometer exposure, owing to the impracticability of 
meeting the requirements of all climates. Meteorologists 
are referred to the publisked papers on the subject by 
Wild and others. 
The desirability of devising a really good maximum 
thermometer was expressed. As regards minimum ther- 
mometers, the use of amyl alcohol instead of ordinary 
spirit was recommended. 
Maximum and minimum thermometers are to be read 
at the latest observing hour of the day. 
Humidity.—This subject was treated at considerable 
length, and the employment of ventilation with the wet 
bulb was urgently insisted on. At the meeting of St. 
| Petersburg, Prof. Pernter proposed to abandon the use 
of the dry- and wet-bulb hygrometer, and to revert to 
the use of the hair hygrometer, but the prop»sal was not 
adopted. 
Wind.—No general form of anemometer was recom- 
mended, nor was any action taken as to uniformity of 
installation or of altitude. As to wind direction, the 
English letters N. E. S. W. were adopted owing to 
the misunderstandings caused by the use of “O” for 
© Ost” in German and for “ Ouest” in French. 
Clouds.—At the Munich Conference, the international 
scheme of Cloud Observations, Direction and Velocity, 
for one year, was adopted, and the results of this work 
have appeared. At the same meeting, the Classification 
of Clouds proposed by Abercromby and Hildebrandsson 
was adopted, and from that has come the “ International 
Cloud Atlas.” 
Rain.—\t was decided to place rain gauges in such 
positions as should preclude their being buried in snow 
or exposed to splashing from the ground. It was recom- 
mended to mark especially the days of precipitation 
which did not reach the limit of 1 mm. and to ignore 
falls below o°t mm. Two columns are to be given 
