July 28, 1910] 



NATURE 



12- 



with individual hard work, as carried out by tlie Italian 

 immigrants, in opposition to the characteristically 

 American " desire to get rich overnight, to control large 

 holdings, and to avoid personal labour." The warning is 

 also true in regard to English agriculturists in South 

 Africa, and may in time become applicable even to the 

 enormous prairie-lands of Canada. 



The Geological Survey of New Jersey, in its annual 

 report for 1908 (1909), records its continued cooperation 

 with the Survey of the United States. In a paper on the 

 building-stones of New Jersey, the rocks are excellently 

 illustrated by coloured photographs of polished surfaces, as 

 well as bv views of the buildings constructed from them. 



Toronto Observatory (1907). — The results of the meteor- 

 ological and seismological observations for the year are 

 interesting and valuable. In the annual summary the results 

 are compared with the means for the last sixty-eight years. 

 The mean temperature of 1907, 44-2°, was practically normal ; 

 m.ean of maxima, 51-6°, of minima, 367°. The absolute 

 maximum was 88-8°, in July (highest on record, 99-2°) ; 

 absolute minimum, — 100°, in January (lowest on record, 

 — 26-5°). The highest solar radiation was 112-3° (June); 

 lowest night radiation, - 13-9° (January). The annual rain- 

 fall was 25-56 inches (normal, 26-S8 inches) ; depth of snow- 

 fall, 52 inches (normal, 66 inches). Rain fell on 100 days 

 and snow on forty-seven days. Bright sunshine was re- 



F[,;. 3. -Old water-l 



The annual report of the Iowa Geological Survey for 

 1908 has beeii received in 1910, and is mainly occupied 

 (pp. 21-687) by a comprehensive series of papers on the 

 coal-deposits of the State. The peat bogs and their flora 

 are described in the concluding papers. 



G. A. J. C. 



REPORTS OF METEOROLOGICAL 

 OBSERVATORIES. 

 '7~HE Meteorological Service of Canada (1906). — This 

 report extends to nearly 650 quarto pages ; the geo- 

 graphical position, and height above sea where known, of 

 the numerous stations in operation in that year are given, 

 also hourly observations at Victoria, Winnipeg, Toronto, 

 and Montreal. From a monthly chronicle of weather con- 

 ditions it would appear that, generally speaking, tJempera- 

 ture was above and rainfall below the normal. Tempera- 

 tures exceeding 100" and below —50° were, as usual, 

 recorded at many stations, the highest being 107°, at Point 

 Clark, Ontario, and the lowest —65-5°, at Dawson City, 

 Yukon. The absence of maps, the impracticability of com- 

 paring data contained in various tables, and the frequent 

 practice of separating rainfall and depth of snow, render 

 it somewhat difticult to obtain a general idea of the 

 characteristics of the year over such a vast area beyond 

 that given by the chronicle referred to. For this purpose 

 the excellent summaries in the Monthly Weather Review, 

 although based chiefly on telegraphic reports, are more 

 convenient. The weather predictions were very successful ; 

 the_ general total percentage of fulfilment (including partial 

 perifications) varied from 8i"3 in November to 92^4 in July, 

 the average being S6'3 per cent. 



NO. 2126, VOL. 84] 



corded on 192 1 hours, being 43 per cent, of the possible 

 amount. 



Bombay and Alibag Observatories (1909). — The equip- 

 ment of these institutions is very complete ; the routine 

 operations, which include terrestrial magnetism, meteor- 

 ology, seismology, and astronomical observations, so far 

 as these relate to time-keeping and signalling, are carried 

 out with great minuteness and regularity. The annual 

 rainfall was 71-22 inches, being 3-94 inches below the 

 normal (1873-96) ; the mean temperature was 78-9°, 0-5°' 

 below the average. Milne's seismograph registered fifty- 

 three earthquakes; great disturbances occurred on .April ii^ 

 June 3, July 8, and October 21. The table representing 

 the magnetic character of each dav shows there were 149- 

 calm days, 182 days of small, and 34 days of larger dis- 

 turbance. The mean declination was 1° o' 16" E. 



Helivan Observatory (1909)- — The magnetic observations 

 made during the year have been published in pamphlet 

 form by the Egyptian Survey Department. The tables 

 include mean monthly values of the various elements, and 

 hourly deviations from the mean. The mean annual results 

 were : — westerly declination, 2° 49-2' ; dip, 40° 40-4' ; hori- 

 zontal force, 0-30031 (C.G.S. unit); vertical force, 025804. 

 .\ list is given of the maximum and minimum values of 

 the elements during fifteen of the principal disturbances 

 with a daily range of more than 100 y in the horizontal 

 intensity (7 = 0-00001 C.G.S. unit). The greatest disturb- 

 ance was recorded on September 25 (to which we have 

 already referred as regards Kew Observatory). At Helwan 

 the range of horizontal intensity was >585 y (the curve 

 extending below the limit of the photographic sheet), 

 vertical intensity 237 7, declination 38'. The range of 

 horizontal intensity in most of the cases quoted was from 

 three to four times that of the vertical intensity. 



