240 DURATIONS OF THE DIFFERENT WINDS 



facts observed in the relations of organised beings, may be no more 

 than observation will justify, and reason sanction. For myself, at 

 least, I find such increasing satisfaction in these views of classifica- 

 tion that I cannot but hope that as attention is directed to them 

 their value will be perceived. It is, at least to my mind, abundantly 

 evident that the prevalent feeling against anything of definite num- 

 bers in classification is either founded on a misunderstanding of what 

 is proposed, or arises from a belief in the origin of species hy acci- 

 dent which is unsupported by evidence, and unphilosophical in its 

 real character. 



ON THE RELATIVE DURATIONS OF THE DIFFERENT 

 WINDS DURING RAIN OR SNOW, DERIVED FROM 

 THE TORONTO OBSERVATIONS, IN THE YEARS 1853 

 TO 1859, INCLUSIVE. 



BY G. T. KINGSTON, M.A. 



DIRECIOE OP THE PKOVINCIAL MAGNETIC OESEEVATOEX, TOEOITTO. 



The relations between rain or snow and the direction of the wind 

 may be viewed either with reference to the winds that precede, to the 

 winds that accompany, or to those that succeed the fall. In this pa- 

 per it is proposed to consider the second of these questions only. 



A comparison will be made of the relative durations of the winds, 

 from the sixteen principal points, throughout days of rain or snow, in- 

 cluding the hours in which no rain or snow fell, as well as the actual 

 time of falling ; and a similar and separate comparison will also be made 

 of the relative durations of the winds whose occurrence was limited to 

 the hours in any part of which a fall took place. 



As some winds have a greater general prevalency than others, it is 

 requisite that the absolute duration of each wind during rain should 

 be divided by its absolute duration, with and without rain, in the same 

 series of years. The quotients form what may be termed the relative 

 durations of the several winds during rain, and constitute the proper 

 quantities for intercomparison. 



As it is probable that the lighter showers may give a greater promi- 

 nence to certain winds than is their due, and may also diminish, in. 



