September 2, 1892.] 



SCIENCE. 



131 



that sweetens the severity of art. A meeting of good workers is 

 a remembrance of pleasure, giving its zest to the aims of the 

 year. 



AMERiCVN ASSOCIATION OF STATE WEITHER SER- 

 VICES. 



A CONVENTION of representatives of State weather services was 

 held in Rochester, N.Y. , on Aug. 15 an^ 16, 1893, in conjunction 

 with the forty-third meeting of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science. The convention was called to order by 

 Professor Mark W. Harrington, chief of the Weather Bureau, 

 who made an address of welcome to the representatives present. 

 He suggested certain important subjects for discussion, and ap- 

 pointed committees on permanent organization, programme, etc. 



A permanent organization was effected, and the following 

 officers were elected: President. Major H. H. C. Dun woody; first 

 vice-president, B. S. Pague of Oregon; second vice-president, 

 G. M. Chappel of Iowa; secretary, R. E. Kerkam, chief of State 

 Weather Service Division, Weather Bureau; and treasurer, W. L. 

 Moore of Wisconson. 



The title, American Association of State Weather Services, was 

 adopted by the convention, and it was decided to hold annual con- 

 ventions in future at the same time and place as those of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science. 



The following representatives were in attendance: The U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau, being represented 

 by Professor Mark W. Harrington, chief; Major H. H. C. Dun- 

 woody, forecast official ; Mr. R. E. Kerkam, chief of State Weather 

 Service Division; Mr. N. B. Conger, inspector; and Mr. P. J. 

 Randolph, stenographer; F. H. Clarke, Arkansas; J. A. Bar wick, 

 California; John Craig, Illinois; C. F. R. Wappenhans, Indiana; 

 G. M. Chappel, Iowa; Frank Burke, Kentucky; E. A. Evans, 

 Michigan; 6. A. Lovelend, Nebraska; J. Warren Smith, New 

 England; E. W. McGann, New Jersey; R. M. Hardinge and W. 

 O. Kerr, New York; C. M. Strong, Ohio; B. S. Pague, Oregon; 

 H. L. Ball, Pennsylvania; S. W. Glenn, South Dakota; G. N. 

 Salisbury, Utah; J. N. Ryker, Virginia; and W. L. Moore, Wis- 

 consin. 



Many of the representatives who were unable to be present at 

 the convention forwarded papers giving their views on various 

 subjects of interest to be discussed. 



The subject of instrument-shelters and a uniform manner of 

 their exposure was debated, and it was the concensus of opinion 

 that a uniform pattern of shelter should be adopted for use 

 throughout the entire country. The subject was referred to a 

 committee consisting of Messrs Smith, Moore, and Pague, with 

 instructions to report as to the most suitable shelter and manner 

 of exposure to be generally adopted by State weather services. 



On the subject of whether the voluntary observers should be 

 supplied with self-registering maximum and minimvim thermom- 

 eters, the prevailing opinion was that such instruments should be 

 issued and used in determining temperature means and averages, 

 wherever and whenever practicable. The old method of making 

 readings at 7 a.m., 3 p.m., and 9 p.m. of the dry thermometer 

 shall be continued whenever desired, but the means should be 

 deduced from the self-registering thermometers where such in- 

 struments are in use. V 



As to the adoption of a form to cover the needs of a great ma- 

 jority of the voluntary observers who are supplied with dry or 

 maximum and minimum thermometers and rain-gauges, it was 

 decided to adopt a form which was suggested by the secretary, so 

 arranged as to admit of making three or four copies, atone writing, 

 by means of the indelible carbon process, thus saving the observers 

 the copying of the form at the end of the month ; the object of 

 this arrangement being to give a copy of the monthly report to the 

 oflSce of the chief of the Weather Bureau, one to the otSce of the 

 director of the State service, and one to be retained by the ob- 

 server, and also to make such additional copies as he may desire 

 to furnish to the local press, etc. 



The forecasting of thunder-storms was the fourth subject dis- 

 cussed, and an interesting paper on this topic was read by the 

 Wisconsin representative. 



The proposition to print the weekly, monthly, and annual re- 

 ports of the State weather services in a uniform manner was freely 

 discussed. The desirability of uniform reports was generallj' 

 admitted, but it was thought impracticable at this time to take 

 any action in the matter, as a number of States have appro- 

 priated funds for printing reports according to definite size and 

 style. 



The discussion of the question of the best methods of signaling 

 weather forecasts by display-men covered a wide range. The flag, 

 the whistle, the semaphore, and the sphere, bomb, and flash-light 

 systems were freely discusse'l, and an inleresting paper was pre- 

 sented by the New England representative on the system of spheri- 

 cal bodies hoist<fd on a staff. This subject was referred to a com- 

 mittee composed of Messrs. Conger, Glenn, and Kerkam, for report 

 at the earliest practicable date. 



On the subject of inspection of voluntary observers' stations the 

 decision <ivas that each voluntary station should be inspected at 

 least once each year, to keep up the interest of the voluntary ob- 

 servers and to enable the directors of State services to become 

 thoroughly familiar with each station and its surroundings. It 

 was reoom mended by the association that sufficient leave of absence 

 be granted the Weather Bureau representative at each State ser- 

 vice centre to enable him to make a tour of inspection. 



Relative to the subject — the relations of State weather services 

 to agricultural colleges a,nd experiment stations — it was decided 

 that, owing to the lack of telegraphic facilities and other means 

 of disseminating weather information, it would not be practicable 

 generally to have the central stations of the State weather ser- 

 vices at such colleges or stations, but that a very close co-opera- 

 tion would be desirable. 



The subject of an exhibit at the World's Fair was the last gen- 

 eral subject discussed. It was decided that each State service 

 should have its exhibit in the building set apart for the use of the 

 State, and not to have the exhibits collected in the building for 

 the use of the United States Weather Bureau. 



Mr. E, T. Turner of New York and Mr. E. H. Nimmo of Michi- 

 gan were elected to active membership in the association, and the 

 following honorary members were also elected : E. F. Smith, 

 California; Professor R. Ellsworth Call. Iowa; Charles C. Nauck, 

 Arkansas; Professor William H. Niles, Massachusetts; G. H. 

 Whitcher, New England; H G. Reynolds, Michigan; H. F. Alcia- 

 tore, Oregon; Major Richard V. Gaines, Virginia; Professor A. L, 

 McRae, Missoiu-i; C. F. Schneider, Michigan; Professor Louis 

 McLouth. South Dakota ; and all active voluntary observers of the 

 United States Weather Bureau. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



Mr. Theodob Geap of Vienna has in his possession a remark- 

 able treasure in the shape of fragments of the Bible recently 

 found in Egypt. They consist of a portion of Zechariab, chap- 

 ters iv-xiv., in the shape of a papyrus book in a fair state of 

 preservation. The fragment is that of a Greek translation, and 

 from the shape of the letters the MS. would appear to belong to 

 the fourth century, making it the oldest Bible MS. thus far dis- 

 covered. The same papyrus also contains fragments of Malachi. 



— The current numbor of the Zeitsehrift der Deutschen Morgen- 

 Uindischen Gesellschaft contains an article of the highest import- 

 ance by the distinguished Egyptologist, Dr. Adolf Erman. He 

 discusses in a most cautious way the supposed relationship of the 

 Egyptian with the Semitic languages. A careful examination of 

 the consonants and vowels, the accent, the pronominal suffixes, 

 the pronouns, and the demonstratives, the nouns, adjectives, 

 numerals, and verbs, as well as of the syntax, leads to the con- 

 clusion that on the grammatical side there is sufficient evidence 

 to warrant the assertion of a relationship between Egyptian and 

 Semitic. An examination of the vocabularies shows only a com- 

 paratively small number of words which are identical, but this 

 number will probably be increased when the laws of phonetic 

 change come to be better understood. The conclusions of Profes- 

 sor Erman, if accepted, will be epoch-making, since they will es- 

 tablish the identity of the culture of the Nile and Mesopotamian 

 valleys, 



