ber because of the heat, and afc some point or other the unexpected 

 is sure to happen. What an opening there is for a trustworthy 

 weather prophet. Dr. Falbe tried his hand last year and was a 

 dismal failure. No one seems to be able to look forward with any 

 confidence for more than 36 hours at the outside. Who, for 

 instance, knew beforehand that we should have about 4|- inches of 

 rain here last February, and that that coupled with the excessive 

 wet of several previous months would cause the land to slip at 

 Sandgate ? Nobody. At least if any one did he ought to be 

 punished for not speaking of it. Or who could have told us that 

 Summer would begin about the 1st of March, and continue till the 

 last day of October, and that there would be no rain at all in April, 

 and next to none in either March or May, Or that we should 

 have to speak of June as a rainless month ? This we now know 

 was the case, but if we coald have known beforehand, what valuable 

 information it would have been. Fortunately the lack of moisture 

 did not hurt Folkestone particularly, and it was not necessary to 

 put us on short commons for a moment in the matter of our water 

 supply. However, the deficiency was made up in the last four 

 months of the year. The rain of September and October was 

 splendid, benefitting all and hurting nobody, as most of it fell in 

 the night. 



I began by referring to the delightfully uncertain condition of 

 things meteorological here, and I mean what I say. Depend upon 

 it the perpetual variations in our climate do us good and not harm. 

 Else why do we live longer in England than any other country ? 

 It is well known that we do, and that we live rather longer in 

 Folkestone than in almost any other place. 



■^i€LIST OF SOCIETIES®!!^ 



WITH WHICH ''PKOCEEDINGS AKE EXCHANGED." 



The Scientific Association, Meriden, Conn., U.S. 



The Academy of Sciences, New York. 



The Academy of Sciences, Philadelphia 



The Elliott Society of Science and Arts, Charlestown. 



The Rochester Academy of Science, Eochester, N.Y. 



The Imperial German Academy, Halle-on-the-Saale. 



The Tunbridge Wells Natural History Society. 



The Huddersfield Naturalists' Society 



The East Kent Natural History Society. 



The Brighton and Sussex Natural Histcry Society. 



The Eastbourne Natural History Society. 



