July 11, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



computes that the number of calories ab- 

 sorbed increased to 4.40 at 15 minutes after 

 totality, and then decreased to zero at about 

 93 minutes after the totality. From 15 min- 

 utes after totality to 45 minutes after total- 

 ity there was very little change. A study of 

 the shadow bands leads to the conclusion 

 'that the shadows were crescent shaped, and 

 had a flickering motion as if struggling 

 through two or more conflicting movements 

 in the atmosphere itself.' This, as above 

 stated, makes it appear to Professor Bigelow 

 that the phenomenon is due exclusively to me- 

 teorological conditions. 



RAINFALL VARIATIONS. 



A VALUABLE study of the variations of rain- 

 fall during long periods of time has recently 

 been made by Hann ('Die Schwankungen 

 der Niederschlagsmessungen in grosseren 

 Zeitraumen,' Sitzungsber. Wien. Ahad., CXI., 

 Ila, 1902). The data used as the basis of the 

 discussion are the monthly and yearly mean 

 rainfalls for Padua (from 1725 to 1900); 

 Klagenfurt (from 1813 to 1900) and Milan 

 (from 1764 to 1900). For the past hundred 

 years (1801-1900) the annual extremes ex- 

 pressed in percentages of the general mean 

 are as follows : 



Padua. Klagenfurt. Milan. 

 Driest year, 58 42 62 



Wettest year, 152 151 152 



Classifying the wet and dry years during 

 the last century according to their percent- 

 age departures from the general mean, the 

 following table is obtained: 



Character. Very Dry. Dry. About normaL 



Per cent., 51-70 71-90 91-110 



Number, 8 26 37 



Estraordi- 

 Character. Wet. Very Wet. narily Wet 



Per cent., 111-130 131-150 over 150 

 Number, 22 6 1 



It is seen that the dry years number 34 

 per cent, and the wet years 29 per cent. The 

 rainfall of the wet years, however, departs to 

 a greater extent from the mean annual value 

 than does that of the dry years. When the 

 mean epochs of these dry and wet periods are 

 determined, it appears that they show a 35- 

 year periodicity, the maxima and the minima 

 coming in the following years : 



Wet, 1738 1773 1808 1843 1878 (1913) 

 Dry, 1753 1788 1823 1859 1893 (1928) 

 This period accords with the 35-year cli- 

 matic period of Briickner. 



NOTES. 



According to recent information received 

 from Mr. Maxwell Hall, who has long been 

 well known for his work in coimection with 

 the meteorology of Jamaica, it appears that 

 the work of collecting the statistics of rain- 

 fall, etc., has been transferred to the Island 

 Chemist's office, and that Mr. Hall has been 

 relieved of his duties by the Governor's order. 



A FULL account of the new meteorological 

 observatory at Aix-la-Chapelle, and of its 

 equipment and formal opening, is given in 

 Vol. VI. of the Deutsches Meteorologisches 

 Jahrhuch for 1900 (Aachen). The same vol- 

 ume also contains the fifth instalment of an 

 article on the climate of Aix-la-Chapelle, and 

 a paper (illustrated) on two halos observed 

 during 1900. 



In the April number of Climate and Crops: 

 California Seetion, Professor A. G. McAdie 

 points out that Sir Francis Drake was quite 

 accurate in his description of the climate 

 near San Francisco, where he anchored in 

 June and July, 1579, as cold and foggy. Pro- 

 fessor McAdie also criticizes the erroneous 

 statement embodied in- the article on 

 Drake in the 'Dictionary of National Biog- 

 raphy,' to the effect that " to speak of the cli- 

 mate near San Francisco or anjrwhere else on 

 that coast in July in these (i. e., Drake's) 

 terms is not exaggeration, but a positive and 

 evidently willful falsehood (Greenhow: 'His- 

 tory of Oregon and California')." Tables are 

 given to show the prevalence of fog in the 

 locality in question. 



E. DeC. Ward. 



MEMORIAL OF EALLER* 



Tres Hoxore Collegue: 



Dans la seance du 17 septembre 1901, le 

 Congres de physiologic reuni a Turin a 



* Letter addressed to Professor H. P. Bowditch, 

 of the International Committee of the Congress- 

 of Physiology. 



