July 26, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



123 



scientific societies, institutions and public 

 schools in various parts of the country." The 

 object was to advance '' the general knowledge 

 of meteorology, promoting an intelligent 

 public interest in the science, and making the 

 work of the society more widely known." 

 This plan has met with marked success. Mr. 

 William Marriott, assistant secretary of the 

 society, who is the lecturer, is now giving 

 lectures on the following subjects : (1) A 

 Chat about the Weather; (2) Weather Fore- 

 casting; (3) Rain, Snow, Hail and Thunder- 

 storms ; (4) The Upper Regions of the Atmos- 

 phere; (5) Clouds, Fog and Sunshine; (6) 

 Climate and Health; (7) Meteorology in Re- 

 lation to Agriculture; (8) How to observe the 

 Weather. These lectures are all illustrated. 

 The Royal Meteorological Society is also ready 

 to send meteorological instruments and illus- 

 trations to any meetings of scientific or other 

 character. 



AFRICA AND THE WHITE MAN 



The EandbooTc for East Africa, Uganda 

 end Zanzibar for 1907 notes that more and 

 more European settlers are occupying land in 

 the elevated Kikuyu district, where " one sees 

 now at intervals European farmers with, here 

 and there, rosy-faced children who bear wit- 

 ness to the suitability of the climate for 

 Europeans." This statement is, of course, to 

 be received with caution. The elevated parts 

 of the tropics are well known to be best suited 

 for European settlement, but sufficient time 

 has not yet elapsed to enable us to draw 

 definite conclusions regarding the ultimate 

 effect of the climate upon the white race. 



INDIAN METEOROLOGICAL MEMOIRS 



Vol. XVIIL, Part I., of the Indian Meteor- 

 ological Memoirs, a series of reports of unique 

 value in meteorology, contains " A Discussion 

 of the Anemographic Observations recorded 

 at Rangoon from June, 1878, to October, 

 1901," and " A Discussion of the Anemo- 

 graphic Observations recorded at Chittagong 

 from June, 1879, to December, 1896," by Sir 

 John Eliot, lately Meteorological Reporter to 

 the Government of India (fol. Calcutta, 1907, 



pp. 122, pis. XXVII.). These reports are of 

 the same high standard of excellence and 

 thoroughness as that of the volumes which 

 have preceded in this same series. The inves- 

 tigation of Indian meteorology continues with 

 unabated vigor. 



RAINFALL OF NORTHERN GERMANY 



An important discussion of the rainfall of 

 northern Germany, by Dr. G. Hellmann, sum- 

 marizes what the meteorological observations 

 of recent years in that region have brought 

 to light. The title of the work is " Die Nie- 

 derschlage in den norddeutschen Stromge- 

 bieten" (3 vols., Berlin, Reimer, 1906). 

 These volumes afford an excellent illustration 

 of the extreme care and proverbial thorough- 

 ness with which German meteorological in- 

 vestigations are carried out. Those who are 

 studying European meteorology or hydrog- 

 raphy will find this work indispensable. 



MARYLAND WEATHER SERMCE 



The Maryland Weather Service has already 

 published some excellent reports on the climate 

 and weather of Maryland, reference to which 

 was made in these columns at the time of their 

 publication. Dr. Fassig's report on the 

 climate and weather of Baltimore is the most 

 thorough discussion of the kind in this 

 country. Since then, separate chapters on the 

 climate of three counties (Allegheny, Cecil, 

 Garrett) have been issued, and it is intended 

 ultimately to cover every county in the state. 

 The latest publication in the series is that on 

 " The Climate of Calvert County," by C. F. 

 von Herrmann (Maryland Geol. Survey, 

 Baltimore, 1907). The general plan of all 

 these climatic sketches is the same. While 

 there are distinct objections to treating climate 

 according to political divisions, and especially 

 by such small and irrational divisions as coun- 

 ties, there are also a good many arguments, 

 of local value, which may be urged in favor 

 of the plan. In any case, meteorology is the 

 gainer by such publications as those of the 

 Maryland Weather Service. Would that all 

 the states would do likewise. 



