512 
Nore.—Since the above was written, Dr. 
Howard informs me that Mr. C. L. Marlatt 
sailed for Japan on March 5th, his mission be- 
ing to collect and forward such natural enemies 
of the San José scale as he may find in that 
country. 
F. M. W. 
CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. 
CLIMATE OF ARGENTINA. 
ONE of the most important publications on 
climatology issued in recent years is buried in 
the second census of the Argentine Repub- 
lic (Buenos Aires, 1898. Tomo I. Cuarta 
Parte. El Clima de la Repiblica Argentina, por 
Gualterio G. Davis. Pp. 259-881). This mon- 
ograph is printed with a mass of other ma- 
terial in the volumes of the Argentine Census. 
No reprints of it have been struck off and it 
has so far practically escaped notice. Mr. Wal- 
ter G. Davis, who is well known as the Direc- 
tor of the Argentine Meteorological Office, has 
in this report given an admirable presentation 
of the chief climatic features of Argentina, and 
has included a series of isothermal, isobaric and 
isohyetal charts which are of unusual interest. 
The interest of Argentina from a climatological 
standpoint is chiefly due to the great extent of 
that country from north to south. On the 
north it extends just beyond the Tropic of 
Capricorn; on the south it reaches latitude 55°. 
The differences in the temperature and rainfadl 
conditions over this extended territory are 
naturally very striking, and profoundly affect 
the natural products of the Republic and the 
occupations of its inhabitants. All the impor- 
tant climatologic elements are tabulated and 
discussed, and many excellent graphic repre- 
sentations are given, showing the correlations 
between the various elements at certain selected 
stations. But the mostimportant matter in the 
report is the series of charts showing the distri- 
bution of temperature, pressure and rainfall. 
The data used are the latest, the most complete 
and the best obtainable. There are isothermal 
charts for spring, summer, autumn, winter and 
for the year (reduced to sea-level and without 
reduction to sea-level); isobaric and wind charts 
for the seasons and for the year, and a mean 
annual rainfall chart. These charts show, for 
SCIENCE. 
[N.S. Vou. XIII. No. 326: 
the first time, the distribution of these various 
elements over the southern portion of South 
America, in detail, and on the basis of reliable 
data. The extraordinary decrease of pressure 
to the southward is perhaps the most striking 
feature shown on these charts. In each season, 
as well as for the year, the isobars in the south- 
ern part of the Argentine run closely parallel, 
almost due east and west. Mr. Davis’s report 
is altogether an extremely valuable piece of 
work, which should certainly be reprinted and 
made generally available for the use of students 
of climatology. 
MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 
THe November number of the Monthly 
Weather Review is particularly strong in papers 
dealing with climatological subjects. W. H. 
Alexander, Observer of the Weather Bureau 
on the island of St. Kitts, contributes an article 
on the ‘ Rainfall of the Island of St. Kitts, W. 
I,’ in which the effects of topography upon 
the amount of precipitation are clearly brought 
out. ‘The Climate of Spokane, Wash.,’ is 
discussed by Charles Stewart on the basis of 
eight years’ records. A. G. MecAdie contrib- 
utes another paper on ‘ Fog Studies on Mount 
Tamalpais’ (Cal.), which is illustrated by four 
excellent half-tones, the original photographs 
having been taken from the U. S. Weather 
Bureau Observatory on Mt. Tamalpais. The 
Section Directors of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, 
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming discuss the 
question of ‘The Water Supply for the Sea- 
son of 1900 as Depending on Snowfall.’ 
NOTES. 
THE Monthly Review of the Iowa Weather and 
Crop Service for December contains a paper on 
‘Climatology of Iowa,’ by J. R. Sage, read 
before the State Horticultural Society, Dec. 13, 
1900, and a discussion of the ‘ Losses by Hail- 
storms in 1900.’ A table prepared by the of- 
ficials of the Farmers’ Mutual Hail Insurance 
Association shows that an aggregate of 2,202 
farms, in 64 counties, suffered damage to the 
amount of over $140,000. 
THE Meteorologische Zeitschrift for December 
contains an excellent brief summary, by Exner, 
of recent contributions to the study of atmos- 
