58 REPORT— 1901. 



St. Elmo's Fire was seen on January 19, 20 ; February 18 ; June 30 ; 

 and July 24. 



Zodiacal Light : — Not observed during the year. 



Thunder and Lightning :— June 11, 12, 13, 20, 21. 



Lightning only : — December 13. 



Solar Halos : — March 23 ; April 1 ; June 21 ; September 26. 



Lunar Halos : — February 7, 9 ; March 17, 18, 19 ; July 13 ; October 

 3, 30 ; November 8 ; December 3, 4. 



During the past year much of Dr. Buchan's time has been occupied in 

 a larger investigation than has hitherto been attempted of the fogs and 

 of the storms of winds round the Scottish coasts. These two distinct 

 inquiries are based on the observations made at the sixty-five Scottish 

 lighthouses night and day down to December 1900. 



As regards the fogs, the results show the mean monthly and annual 

 number which have occurred at each of the sixty-five lighthouses from 

 1880 to 1900, the number of hours fog has prevailed during these 

 twenty years, and the mean number of hours the fog on its occurrence 

 lasts at each place. As regards storms of wind, similar results have been 

 worked out for the twenty years ending 1900. 



Now as regards weather forecasting, fogs are among the more pro- 

 minent of the phenomena attending on the anticyclone ; and storms of 

 wind, rain, and snow are the most prominent features of the weather 

 phenomena attending the cyclone. Diagrams giving these results show 

 that, as regards storms, the number which occur in each month strictly 

 follow the sun, the maximum number being in December and the 

 minimum in June. This is the relation observed for the storms occurring 

 in Scotland taken as a whole. 



On the other hand fogs also follow the sun in the number of the 

 monthly occurrences, but in a reverse order, the maximum number 

 occurring in June and the minimum in December. It is to be observed 

 that the maximum pei'iod includes the two months June and July, and 

 the minimum the three months November, December, and January. 



These elaborate papers on storms and fogs are merely introductory to 

 the wider discussion of weather phenomena which has been undertaken 

 touching the relations of the Ben Nevis observations to storms of winds, 

 widespread clouded skies, severe storms of rain and snow, and fogs to 

 the changing positions day by day of the cyclones and anticyclones of 

 North-western Europe. This research involves an analysis of the daily 

 weather maps for Scotland, showing for each day from July 17, 1890, to 

 this date the geographical distribution of storms of wind, the rainfall, 

 thunderstorm, aurora, and other weather phenomena appended as sup- 

 plements to the bi- daily weather maps issued by the Meteorological 

 Council. It will be at once evident that this research necessitates heavy 

 labour, stretching over a long period — from two to three years at least. 



Mr. Omond's time during the past year has been largely directed to 

 the utilisation of the observations made at the High Level observatories 

 of Europe viewed in connection with the Ben Nevis observations and 

 their bearings on weather changes. In connection with this work the 

 observations at the following High Level observatories are being utilised : 



In France — Barcelonette, 3,714 feet ; Servance, 3,990 feet ; Gavarnie, 

 4,452 feet; Puy-de-Dome, 4,813 feet; Aigoual, 5,099 feet; Mont 

 Ventoux, 6,234 feet ; and Pic de Midi, 9,380 feet. In Germany— 

 Brocken, 3,766 feet ; and Schneekoppe, 5,259 feet. In Austria — 



