CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 55 



various parts u£ the British Isles, by the Royal Meteorological Society in 

 England, and by the Scottish Meteorological Society in Scotland, rainfall 

 stations are supervised and the records publislied by the following 

 Societies : — ■ 



Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society. — 102 stations in 

 north-western Kent and eastern Surrey. 



Dorset Field Club. — 48 stations in Dorset. 



llertfordsliire Natural History Society . — 55 stations in Herts. 



Nortliamptonshire Natural History Socifty. — 41 stations in North- 

 amptonshire. 



North Devon Athenamin {Burnstaj)le) . — 30 stations in North Devon 

 and Somerset. 



Rainfall associations are also organised by individuals in Cambridge- 

 shire and Huntingdon, Norfolk, the English Lake District, the Isle of 

 Man, Mid-Wesscx and Stirlingshire. 



Mr. J. Ferguson (Ceylon) in(|uired what period of years Dr. Llill 

 would lix as the minimum for continuous rainfall observations to prove of 

 practical value from a scientific point of view. In Ceylon, and in most 

 tropical planting colonies, superintendents of plantations were accustomed 

 to include attention to the rain-gauge (and sometimes to thermometers) 

 as part of their daily duties ; but nowadays each man had, as a rule, 

 only a limited stay on the estate, although in pioneering days fifteen to 

 twenty-five years' residence was not uncommon. He might point out to 

 delegates how important it was that young men who looked for a career to 

 farming or planting in the colonies — where there were few or no weather 

 traditions available' — should get some experience of simple meteorological 

 observations at home. 



Mr. J. Hopkinson (Hertfordsliire Natural History Society) said that he 

 would only refer to one or two points connected with Dr. Mill's remarks. 

 (1) As to the cost of taking meteorological observations, he feared that 

 the delegates might be deterred by thinking that it was greater than is 

 really the case. A reliable ' Snowdon ' rain-gauge, with a certificate from 

 the Kew Observatory or from Dr. Mill could be obtained for from 20.s'. to 

 255. For a climatological station of the R,oyal Meteorological Society 

 four thermometers were also required, a maximmn and minimum, and a 

 dry bulb and wet bulb (the latter two to obtain the relative humidity of 

 tlie air), and also a ' Stevenson ' (louvre-boarded) screen to place them 

 in, the cost of this equipment being, he thought, about 5/. or 6^. All 

 the thermometers should be tested at the Kew Observatory. (2) Only 

 one reading daily was required, at 9 A.M., when the proportion of sky 

 covered by cloud (0-10) should be estimated. He knew from experience 

 that all the observations required for such a station could be made in 

 live minutes. (3) As to continuity. This was most important, and lie 

 would urge upon the Corresponding Societies to endeavour to ensure con- 

 tinuity of observation by getting any private meteorological observatory 

 which seemed likely to be discontinued transferred to some in.stitution 

 or public body. After taking climatological observations for twelve years 

 at Watford, and then for thirteen years at St. Albans, he transferred his 

 own instruments to the County Museum there, instructing the care- 

 taker how to make the observations, which he supervised, worked up, 

 and published annually iii the ' Transactions ' of his Society. As the 



