METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS OV IJEN NEVIS. 



277 



Meteoroloriical Ohservations of Ben Nevis. — Ileiiort of the CommiUee, 

 consisting of Lord McLaren, Professor A. Crum Brown (Secre- 

 tari/), Sir John Murray, Dr. Alexander Buciian, and Professor 

 CoPELAND. (Drawn up by Dr. Buchan.) 



Thk Committee was appointed, as in former years, for the purpose of co- 

 operating with the Scottish Meteorological Society in making meteoro- 

 logical observations at the two Ben Nevis Observatories. 



The hourly eye observations by night as well as by day, which are a 

 specialty of the Ben Nevis Observatory, were made witli complete regu- 

 larity during the year 1897 by Mr. Angus Rankin, the superintendent, 

 and his assistants. The Directors of the Observatories tender their best 

 thanks to Messrs. T. S. Muir, A. Drysdale, M.A., B.Sc, John S. Begg, 

 T. G. Kay, D. Macrae Aitken, A. Aitken, George Ednie, and T. KUgour 

 for the invaluable help they have rendered as volunteer observers during 

 the past year, by which the much-needed relief has been given to the 

 members of the regular staff. In addition to this, Messrs. Muir and 

 Drysdale have given much time and labour in discussing, under the 

 superintendence of the Directors, the observations made in the summer 

 months at the intermediate station, together with the observations at the 

 two Observatories at the same time, in connection with the weather which 

 prevailed at the time, more especially the anticyclones and the cyclones 

 which occurred. The result, which the Directors consider to be of con- 

 siderable value, will be referred to in a subsequent part of this report. 



Table I. shows for 1897 the mean monthly and extreme pressures and 

 temperatures ; amounts of rainfall, with the number of days of rain, and 

 the days on which the amount equalled or exceeded one inch ; the hours 

 of sunshine ; the mean percentage of cloud ; the mean velocity of the wind 

 in miles per hour at the top of the mountain ; and the mean rainband at 

 both Observatories. The mean barometric pressures at Fort William 

 Observatory are reduced to 32'' and sea-level, but those at the Ben Nevis 

 Observatory only to 32°. 



Table I. 



1897 



Jan. I Feb. March April I Jlay I June July Aug. i Sept. i Oct. Nov. Dec. Year 



25-090:25-298 



29-661 129-855 

 4-571, 4-557 



32-4 



47-2 

 14-8 



64-0 



80-4 

 16-4 



