THE CLIMATOLOGY OF THE UNITED STATES. 29 



eilt parts of the world might be obtained from time to time 

 or at regulär intervals. The idea was favorably received 

 and at the preseiit time meteorologists are gaining coiisid- 

 erable knowledge on the subject from the bulletins of 

 the International Weather Bureau. 



Before leavingthe subject of forecasting weather changes, 

 I will say a few words in regard to those who are known 

 as weather prophets, men like Mr. Vennor and Mr. Wig- 

 gin who have enjoyed quite a notoriety at times. These 

 men were not in the habit, as some have intimated, of 

 sending out predictions, based upon nothiug but the ca- 

 price of their own imaginations simply to attract public 

 attention. On the contrary, they each had Systems more or 

 less worthy of scientific investigation and they themselves 

 believed in their Systems and at the sanie time endeavored 

 to gain a reputation for accuracy in foretelling meteorok)g- 

 ical events. The late Mr. Henry G. Vennor, of Montreal, 

 was a gentleman of learning, a Fellow of the Geographi- 

 cal Society, a naturalist and an aiithor, having completed 

 a record of meteorological observatioiis extending over a 

 period of many years. He found what appeared to be a 

 series of recurriiig weather changes ; that is, a period 

 in which the weather would repeat itself, or go through 

 the same changes as occurred in a former period : cold 

 winters, hot smnmers, wet and dry seasons, etc., occur- 

 ring in a certain order, through a certain number of years ; 

 these changes then being repeated throughout the next 

 period of years, and so on. Mr. Vennor, however, did 

 not disdain to seek aid for his predictions from other 

 sources ; and his knowledge in the field of natural histoiy 

 was of great advantage in enabling him to judge of the 

 character of coming seasons from the migrations and ap- 

 pearance of birds, and the actions of animals and insects. 

 He published a monthly bulletin and an almanac ; these 



