March 3, 1881] 



NA TURE 



411 



The Recent Severe Weather 



Granting (i) that solar periodicity produces a corresponding 

 periodicity in any of the elements which make the climate of the 

 earth as a whole what it is, and (2) that the expression for that 

 periodical change contains only the two first terms of the general 

 expression, i.e. that there are no sectndary . . . periods, both 

 large admissions in the present state of our knowledge, it does 

 not appear how a simple fluctuation of solar temperature, re- 

 curring, we will say, every eleven years, could produce several 

 periodic fluctuations of terrestrial temperature, identical in 

 duration but not simultaneou-, some one or more being therefore 

 partially or completely opposed in phase to some one or more of 

 the remainder, and to the causal fluctuation. 



Further, «e l^now that solar conditions are not as simple as 

 those above assumed, and that the sun-spot period is subject to 

 large and seemingly capricious variation amounting to something 

 like ± 3 years at least. If then, as some able physicists believe, 

 solar atmospheric changes are reflected in marked variations in 

 terrestrial climate, we shall find these latter to be common to 

 the whole earth, and to be represented by a function of the 

 same form. The mere citation of local (for in this view even the 

 climate of Europe is merely local) phenomena which have 

 occurred at intervals approximately equal individually to the 

 average length of a sun-spot period, proves nothing in favour 

 of the view supported by your correspondent " H. \V. C," in 

 Nature, vol. xxiii. pp. 329, 363 ; and an analysis of the dates given 

 in his first communication, which would make the occurrence of 

 great frosts simultaneou-;, sometimes with :un-spot maxima, at 

 other times with sun-spot minima, seems calculated to weaken 

 his case in a material degree, on the supposition of an uniform 

 eleven-year cycle. 



Arranging the dates given by him in parallel column with 

 the eleventh years of the present century, we get 



Dates of severe frost. 1800 + 



1. 1801 — 2 ... O 



2. 1810 — II II 



3. 1S13— 14 _ 



4. 1S19 — 20 ... 22 



5. 1S37-3S 33 



6. 1S40 — 41 ... ... ... ... 44 



7. 1856-57 55 



8. i860— 6i 66 



9. 1S70— 71 77 



10. 1880—81 88 



2 and 7 are placed .is above, as those positions seem to favour the 

 cyclic theory more than their original ones did. A complete list of 

 great frosts collated with actual sun-spot variations is however 

 most desirable, and would be specially valuable if representative of 

 terrestrial climate in the cosmical sense. I trust that H. W. C. 

 will favour us with such a table. 



London, February 19 M. R. I, A. 



Migration of the Wagtail 



I FEAR I may be attempting to trespass too frequently on the 

 columns of N.\Tt;RE recently, but the paper in vol. xxiii. p. 387 

 on the subject of wagtails taking a passage on the backs of 

 cranes in a long flight, resembles so much a somew hat similar 

 story told and believed in by the Indians in several parts of 

 North America, that I venture to send you an account of it. 



All the Indians (Maskegon Crees) round the sou'h-western 

 part of Hudson's Bay, assert that a small bird of the Fringillida; 

 tribe takes a passage northward in the spring on the back of the 

 Canada goose {A. Canadensis)^ which reaches the shores of 

 Hudson's Bay about the last week of April. 



They say that they have often seen little birds fly aw ay from 

 geese when the latter have been shot or shot at. 



An intelligent, truthful, and educated Indian named George 

 Rivers, who was very frequently my shooting companion for 

 some years, assm'ed me that he had witnessed this, and I believe 

 I once saw it occur. 



It is only the Canada goose that these little migrants use as an 

 aerial conveyance, and certainly they both arrive at the same 

 date, which is a week or two earlier than the other kinds of 

 geese {A. Jiyperhorens and albifrons) make their appearance. 



I knew the little bird well and have preserved specimens of it, 

 but it is ; o long ago that I have forgotten the name. 



The Indians on the shores of Athabasca and Great Slave 

 Lakes — both great resorts of wild geese — tell a similar story. 

 If a fabrication, I do not see why it should be invented about the 



Canada goose only, and not about other species which are 

 equally numerous. 



It may perhaps be necessary to explain that all the Coast 

 Indians of Hudson's Bay devote a month or more every sprinf 

 to wild fowl (chiefly geese) shooting, the game killed forminS 

 their entire food for the time. 



As soon as the geese begin to arrive, the Indian constructs a 

 concealment of willows and grass, usually near a pool of open 

 water, at the edge of which he sets up decoys. When geese are 

 seen approaching (usually flying at a great height) the Indian 

 imitates their c:i 11, and the geese on seeing the decoys circle 

 round, gradually coming lower down until within shot, when 

 they are fired at. It is from these high-flying geese that the 

 small birds are seen to come. 



If the geese are flying low it is a pretty sure indication that 

 they have already rested on the ground somewhere near, after 

 their long flight, when of course their tiny passengers would 

 have alighted. John Rae 



Royal Institution, February 26 



Phosphorescence of the Sea 



You w ill perhaps permit me to record the occurrence of a 

 phenomenon very rarely witnessed on this coa^t — I mean the 

 general and quasi-spontaneous luminosity of the sea. 



It is of course common enough to observe sparkles of light 

 more or less abundant when sea-water is briskly disturbed by 

 contact with an oar or the bow of an advancing vessel ; but 

 it has only once before been my fortune, and that was twenty 

 years ago, to w itness the crest of each wavelet illuminated by the 

 pale silvery light proceeding from countless phosphorescent 

 organisms present in the water. 



The night, being cloudy, favoured observation, but there was 

 considerable haze. The wind was south-east or thereabouts, 

 the tem| erature of the air being 52° F., that of the sea close by 

 the shore 47°'5 F. 



The phenomenon was visible on the night of Thursday, 

 February 17 only. The following night was equally favour- 

 able for observation, and the temperatures weie the same 

 within a degree, but the cause or causes no longer operated. 

 On casting into the sea a shower of pebbles, which the night 

 before produced brilliant flashes of light, or larger stones, w hich 

 then developed concentric luminous wavelets, on'y a doubtful 

 effect was observed. The organisms had, it seemed, already 

 expended their force — probably had actually died — and I thought 

 I perceived an unu-ual frothiness in the water. 



Is it not uncommon for this to occur so early in the year ? It 

 is in summer, when the temperature of the sea is high, that we 

 expect to see the water " fiery." Was the phenomenon observed 

 on other 1 aris of the coast ? Thos. B. Groves 



Weymouth, February 21 



Minerva Ornaments 



I HAVE tw ice had an opportunity of being in London during 

 the time Dr. Schliemann's Trojan antiquities were exhibited at 

 South Kensingttn, and the examination of them gave me very 

 much plea-ure. My last visit took place at the time Mr. Clay- 

 pole's first letter and Prof. Sayce's reply appeared in Nature, 

 and I gave the " Minerva ornaments" particular attention. My 

 interest in the subject has been revived by seeing another letter 

 from Mr. Claypole in a recent number, and having refreshed my 

 memory from notes taken during my visits, perhaps you would 

 kindly afford me space for a few remarks. 



Some of the "Minerva ornaments" appeared tome somewhat 

 similar to Irish objects in my pos.ession, but mine are more 

 symmeti'ical, less flattish, pnd on the whole more suitable, I 

 should say, for net-sinkers than the others, }'et I never thought 

 of ticketing them as such. I think that both sets of objects have 

 h.id too much labour expended on them to favour the idea that 

 they were used for such a common object as net-sinking. The 

 Irish objects, which I should say are of stone, are identical in 

 form with a class of glass ornaments known as double glass 

 beads, found in most collections of Irish antiquities, which are 

 certainly not net-sinkers. "Net-sinker" is a very common 

 name in Ireland for almost any stone with a hole in it, and, with- 

 out intending the slightest disrespect to Mr. Claypole, I believe 

 the term is one of a set, of which " sling-stone " is another, 

 applied in doubtful cases to cover our ij^norance. As regards 

 the use of the objects di- covered by Dr. Schliemaun, there may 



