May 9, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



757 



temperatures agrees remarkably closely with 

 tlie curve of sun-spot frequency. There are 

 about 2° in mean maximum temperature be- 

 tween the maxim.um. and minimum of the 

 sun-spot curve. The rainfall curve also ac- 

 cords as a whole remarkably closely with the 

 sun-spot curve, but from the middle of 1887 

 to the middle of 1890 the rainfall was less than 

 it should have beenj and from the middle of 

 1891 to the end of 1895 it was greater than it 

 should have been. These irregularities are 

 interesting because in 1892 it was assumed 

 that the curve would recover its position, and 

 a smaller rainfall for the next few years was 

 predicted, but 1893 proved to be unusually 

 wet. 



CLIMATE OF WESTERN" AUSTRALIA. 



Climatologists will give the latest publica- 

 tion from the Perth Observatory a warm wel- 

 come, for it is the first comprehensive report 

 on the climate of western Australia. Annual 

 meteorological summaries have been issued 

 since 1876, but the present volume comprises 

 a selection and coordination of the principal 

 meteorological facts which have been dis- 

 covered during the past twenty-four yeai-s of 

 observations. 'The Climate of Western 

 Australia from Meteorological Observations 

 made during the Years 1876-1899' is the title 

 of this publication, and it reflects great credit 

 on Mr. Ernest Cooke, Government Astrono- 

 mer for Western Australia. ISTaturally, 

 meteorological work has been carried on 

 under the greatest difficulties in the district 

 in question, and the earlier records cannot 

 be compared as regards accuracy with those 

 which are now being made. 



It is a great satisfaction to note that Mr. 

 Cooke gives at the very beginning of his re- 

 port a series of seventeen weather maps illus- 

 trating the weather types of the district under 

 discussion, for the best understanding of a 

 climate is to be gained through an apprecia- 

 tion of the local weather types. There are two 

 principal types of weather, the winter and 

 the summer, although each of these is, of 

 course, subject to endless modifications. A 

 general, albeit very brief, description of the 

 climate follows the discussion of the weather 

 types, the statements having special reference 



to Perth, and a full set of meteorological 

 tables completes the volume. A table of 

 special interest is that which shows the dura- 

 tion of the 'heat waves' which have passed 

 Perth since January 1, 1880. The longest of 

 these spells without a break occurred in 1896, 

 when the maximum temperature exceeded 90° 

 on every day between January 25 and Feb- 

 ruary 12 — nineteen days in all, but the most 

 severe heat was apparently in January and 

 February, 1880, when the maxima on several 

 days rose over 100°, and on two days over 

 110°. It may be noted, however, that hot 

 nights are exceptional, even during these hot 

 waves, the minima being usually between 60° 

 and 70°. A series of charts accompanies the 

 volume, showing, for each month and for the 

 year, the pressure; mean, maximum and 

 minimum temperature, and the rainfall. 



R. DeC. Ward. 

 Harvard University. 



SCIBNTIFW NOTES AND NEWS. 

 The Academy of Sciences atChristiania has 

 elected the following corresponding members : 

 Dr. J.H. van't Hoff, professor of general chem- 

 istry, and Professor Adolf Engler, professor 

 of botany, at the University of Berlin; Dr. 

 Eichard Abegg, professor of chemistry at 

 Breslau; Dr. Karl A. Ritter von Zittel, pro- 

 fessor of paleontology and geology at Munich, 

 and Dr. Julius Ilann, professor of meteorology 

 at Vienna. 



McGiLL University has conferred the de- 

 gree of doctor of science in course on Professor 

 Frank Dawson Adams, M.A., Ph.D., Log-an 

 professor of geology and paleontology, McGill 

 University, and on William Bell Dawson, M. A., 

 Ma.E., of the Department of Marine, Ottawa. 



Glasgow University has conferred its LL.D. 

 on Mr. James Stevenson, of Largs, for his ser- 

 vices in opening up Nyassaland and in estab- 

 lishing the Livingstone mission by which the 

 work of Dr. Livingstone was continued and 

 brought to fruition, and in the completion of 

 the great highway between Lake ISTyassa and 

 Tanganyika, known as Stevenson-road. 



Professors Victor C. Vaughan and Freder- 

 ick G. Novy of the medical department of the 



