786 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 46. 



In 1861 Dr. LeConte was maiTied to Helen, 

 daughter of the late Judge Grier, who, with two 

 sous, survives him. 



Dr. LeConte died Nov. 15, 1883, and was 

 buried in West Laurel Hill cemetery, in the 

 vicinity of Philadelphia. His death is an ir- 

 reparable loss to American science, and a calam- 

 ity in his special department. 



George H. Horn. 



THE WEATHER IN OCTOBER, 188S. 



The monthlj' review of the U. S. signal-ser- 

 vice gives in copious detail the weather condi- 

 tions which prevailed in October. The peculiar 

 features of the month were the deficiency in 

 temperature .ind excess in rainfall in the greater 

 part of the countr3'. The former was most 

 strougl}' marked in the Missouri valley and 

 New England, the mean temperature falUng be- 

 low the average 3°. 7 and 3°. 6 respectiveh' in 

 these districts. In Tennessee, Florida, the Rio 

 Grande valle}', the South Atlantic and Gulf 

 states, however, the mean temperature was 

 from 2°. 5 to 4°. 3 above the average; so that 

 the distribution of temperature was rather ir- 

 regular. One instance of a maximum temper- 

 ature of 100° was noted, while the frosts were 

 frequent. 



The distribution of rainfall is indicated by 

 the following table : — 



Average precipitation for October., 1883. 



The drought in New England and in some 



portions of the Southern States was broken by 

 the ^pious rains of tlie month, but still con- 

 tinued in other sections. 



The storms of the month present some no- 

 ticeable features. The weather over tne 

 North Atlantic Ocean was generally stormy, 

 being attended b}- a succession of strong west- 

 erly breezes. There were seven depressions 

 charted on the ocean, all of which moved in a 

 north-easterty direction. Of these, four were 

 continuations of storms in the United States, 

 one of which moved to the British coast ; and 

 one was a tropical hurricane which gave evi- 

 dence of its presence off the Atlantic coast by 

 high winds at coast stations, and which moved 

 north-eastward as far as the twentieth meridian. 

 Nine depressions were charted in the United 

 States ; all, with one exception, moving north- 

 easterly, and but one being a severe storm. 

 This occurred on the 17th and 18th, causing 

 violent gales on Lake Michigan, though few 

 casualties were reported. One depression 

 moved in quite an unusual path : it was re- 

 ported at Yuma, Arizona, on the 2d, and 

 moved in a northerlj' direction into British 

 America. There is reason to believe that it 

 was a tropical hurricane which crossed Mexico 

 in the latter part of September from the Carib- 

 bean iSea, and, recurving in the Pacific, entered 

 the country in Arizona as a weak depression. 

 All of the tropical hurricanes of this season 

 have run their courses mainly' in the ocean. 

 Though thej' ha\'e been fullj- as numerous and 

 as severe as usual, their ravages have been 

 confined to the islands in their path and to the 

 vessels exposed to their fury. 



Sunspots continue to be numerous. There 

 was onlj' one brilliant aurora in October, and 

 this was observed priucipallj' in New England 

 and northern New York. Severe shocks of 

 earthquake were experienced in San Francisco 

 on the 9th and 10th, causing considerable 

 alarm, but no material damage. A new volcano 

 has made its appearance, bursting out in Be- 

 ring Sea : it has been exceedingly active, having 

 alreadj' formed an island eight hundred to 

 twelve hundred feet high. On the 20th a 

 shower of mixed sand and water fell at Una- 

 lashka, sixty miles east of the volcano, which 

 maj' have come from it. 



The accompanying map represents the mean 

 pressure, temperature, and wind-directions. 

 The former is worthy of note because of the 

 regular increase of pressure from west to east. 

 Usually there are two high areas in October, — 

 one near the eastern coast, and the other in the 

 north-western territories. The latter was want- 

 ing in October of this vear. 



