124 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 656 



EAIN-MAKING AGAIN 



The compiler of these notes has been re- 

 quested to act as a director in the " Conti- 

 nental Eain-making Co.," which is to be 

 incorporated in Arizona. From the circulars 

 sent out by the Chief Eain-maker we learn 

 that he " will not be responsible for any 

 storm, flood, or any excesses of nature what- 

 ever." " Reliable agents wanted to take up 

 subscriptions in dry sections." " Favorable 

 scientific press comments solicited; unfavor- 

 able not wanted." Can not the mails be closed 

 against such swindling schemes as this ? 



MOON AND CLOUDS 



The old question of the supposed influence 

 of the moon in causing a decrease in the 

 amount of cloud has again been investigated, 

 this time by Otto Meissner (Met. Zeitschr., 

 May, 1907). It appears that this supposed 

 cloud-dispelling effect does not exist. Clouds 

 frequently disappear in the evening. When 

 there is a moon, especially a full moon, the 

 clouds can be much more easily seen, and their 

 disappearance makes much more impression 

 than on a dark night. 



CLIMATE OF VICTORIA, B. C. 



The May, 1907, number of the National 

 Geographic Magazine contains a short article 

 on " Factors which Modify the Climate of 

 Victoria," by A. W. McCurdy. The insular 

 position; the proximity of the warm Pacific; 

 the prevailing westerly winds ; the local topog- 

 raphy and the small precipitation, permitting 

 abundant sunshine throughout the year, are 

 enumerated as the most important climatic 

 controls. Victoria shares with other places 

 along the Pacific coast of North America the 

 advantage of mild winters and moderately cool 

 summers, and it has the additional advantage 

 of being so situated that its rainfall is much 

 less than that of more exposed stations. 



SONNHLICK VEREIN 



The Fifteenth Annual Report of the Sonn- 

 blick Verein, for 1906, is one of unusual value. 

 It contains a presidential address by Dr. Harm 

 on the present aims of meteorological in- 



vestigation; an appreciative review, by A. 

 von Obermeyer, of the twenty years of 

 meteorological work at Ben Nevis Observa- 

 tory, with illustrations, and a discussion, by 

 Dr. Hann, of the results of the meteorological 

 observations on the Sonnblick during the past 

 twenty years. The frontispiece is an excellent 

 engraving of Dr. Hann. 



notes 

 " Der Meteorologische Aequator im Stillen 

 Ozean " (Archiv. deutsch. Seewarte, XXIX., 

 1906, No. 1) is the title of a very thorough 

 investigation, by R. Westermann, of the condi- 

 tions of temperature, pressure, rainfall, 

 cloudiness, winds, himiidity and ocean cur- 

 rents along the meteorological equator in the 

 Pacific Ocean. 



Vol. LXXX. of the Denkschriften of the 

 Vienna Academy of Sciences (math.-naiur- 

 wiss. Kl.) contains a second instalment of 

 Harm's discussion of the daily march of 

 temperature in the tropics. A former publi- 

 cation dealt with the inner portion of the 

 tropical zone; the present one concerns the 

 outer portion (A. Das amerihanische und 

 afriJcanische Tropengehiet). 



An historical review of our knowledge of 

 land and sea breezes, and a presentation of 

 existing theories regarding these winds, has 

 been published in several recent numbers of 

 Das Wetter. The final instalment appears in 

 the issue for May, 1907. 



R. DeC. Ward 



BU.EVABD UnIVEBSITY " 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 

 Dr. G. W. Hill, of Nyack, N. Y.; M. 

 Camille Jordan, of Paris, and Drs. Guido 

 Castelnuovo and Vito Volterra, of Rome, have 

 been elected honorary members of the London 

 Mathematical Society. 



The University of the South has conferred 

 the degree of D.C.L. on President Ira Remsen, 

 of the Johns Hopkins University. 



Cambridge University has conferred the 

 degree of LL.D. upon Nicholas Murray 



