TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 809 
distinguishing the floating ice into three categories: (1) Drift-ice, low broken 
blocks, often evidently broken-off parts of glaciers; (2) Pack-ice, composed of 
greenish stratified masses of frozen sea-water; and (3) Icebergs. The icebergs 
observed in the western part of the Valdivia’s route, z.c. in the neighbourhood of 
Bouvet Island, were much water-worn and varied in outline, having evidently 
been afloat for a long time, while in the eastern part, near Enderby Land, they 
were fresh, tabular, and regular in form, and had a height of from 100 to 180 feet 
above the surface. 
Amongst the meteorological work that accomplished in the far south can alone 
be mentioned. The expedition saw nothing of the ‘brave west winds’ south of 
55° S., but only light winds (though often storms) from E., N.E., and N., with 
frequent calms and a quiet sea with fog on many occasions. In spite of the 
frequency of east winds the barometer showed no sign of rising towards the south, 
as the existence of an Antarctic anticyclone would seem to imply, but fell steadily. 
i) 
On the Mean Temperature of the Surface Waters of the Sea round the 
British Coasts, and its Relation to that of the Air. By H. N. 
Dickson, F.2.S.L. 
The mean monthly and annual temperatures of the surface waters of the sea 
during the period 1880-97 are shown for sixty-five stations distributed round the 
coasts of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The average for the year at the entrance 
to the English Channel is nearly 54° F., it falls as the Channel narrows to 52° 
between the Start and Cape la Hague, and remains steady to beyond the 
Straits of Dover, at least as far as the Hast Goodwin light vessel. On the south- 
west coast of Ireland the annual mean is about 52°, falling to 51° in St. George’s 
Channel, and 50° in the Irish Sea. A slow fall from 52° to 50° takes place on the 
west coast of Ireland until the N.W. corner is reached. The mean of 49° per- 
sists along the north coast of Ireland to the North Channel, and along the whole 
of the west coast of Scotland to Stornoway. On the east coast temperature falls 
very quickly, as soon as we get out of range of the Straits of Dover, to 50° off 
Suttolk and Norfolk, and then there is a gradual fall as we go northwards, to 48° 
off the coast of Northumberland, 473° off Aberdeenshire, and 47° at the Orkneys 
and Shetlands. The effect of the tidal streams in mixing the waters is exceedingly 
well marked. The annual minimum of temperature rarely occurs in March, most 
frequently in January, especially at stations open to the Atlantic. The annual 
maximum occurs almost everywhere in August. 
Mean temperatures of the surface water are compared with the forty-year 
averages for the air, recently published by Buchan. A comparison shows that the 
mean annual difference has hitherto been somewhat over-estimated, especially on 
the western coast ; in no case is the mean excess of sea over air greater than 2° F. 
The maximum difference occurs everywhere in November and December, and is 
greatest on the south coast of England between Portland Bill and the Straits of 
Dover, 
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 
The following Papers were read :— 
1. The Bathymetrical Survey of the Scottish Fresh-water Lochs. 
By Sir Joun Murray, X.C.B., and F. P. Puvar. 
