164 



SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



The large quantitj' of rain which falls in a 

 short time enlarges the watercourses to an enor- 

 mous extent. One could scarcely credit the fact 

 that the large gulleys and rivers which have only 

 a few gallons of water running through them in 

 dry weather can in the course of a couple of hours 

 or less become roaring torrents. The rain has not 

 time to soak into the ground, so that the quantity 

 of surface water to be carried off is enormous. 

 The veldt for miles looks like a lake, but as soon 

 as the storm has passed the sun comes out and 

 rapidly dries up the water which has not run away 

 throJgh the spruits, while in the low-lying damp 

 ground the frogs croak and the insects sing. 



I am much indebted to Dr. Schmitz-Dumont, 

 Government Analyst, Pretoria, for kindly giving 

 me a copy of his record of the rainfall cluring 

 1900 and 1901. Also to Mr. Cinatti,the Portuguese 

 Consul-General, for being kind enough to obtain 

 for me from the French Consul temperature and 

 rainfall records. Mr. H. Heiberg, of the Mines- 

 Department, was kind enough to give me the loan 

 of a Wild-Fuess barometer from his department^ 

 with which I took my observations. I desire also 

 to express my thanks to Dr. A. M. Dodd, of Liver- 

 pool, for being kind enough to give me some 

 photographs to illustrate the country, one of which 

 is here used as an illustration. 



D.ite 

 190U 



Feb. 



24th 0.35 658.90 

 25tli 8.30 659.10 



26tli 

 27tll 



March 1st 



2nd 

 3rd 



0th 

 10th 



8.15 

 8.30 



65S.00 

 {i5?.36 



656.30 



660.25 



8.40 



0.15 1 esr.so 



8.30 



8th I 0.15 -658.20 



p.m. 

 12.30 



667.20 

 666.40 



a.m. 



0.30 658.05 



653.55 22.5 



" ; p.m. 



22 ' 3.30 



23 2.45 



1.15 

 4.30 



18.8 3 



10.2 , — 

 10.5 , 2.16 



656.35 

 655.90 



654.90 

 063.85 



657.00 



666.15 

 653.86 



653.85 



1.40 640.60 



26.2 

 25.2 



27.3 

 28 



7.30 

 7.30 



7.46 

 7.10 



5.40 



4 



4.30 



7.10 



4 



4.10 





CJ 



























t 



s. 



a 







W 



H 



656.70 

 653.40 



656.15 

 653.95 



655.00 



655.25 

 656.20 



23.1 

 22.4 



20 

 18.2 



-is ' The Temperature is Eegietered 



! c ill Degrees Centigrade. The Barometi 

 J ;- ! and Rainfall in Millimetres 



3.30. Sky cloudy and a squall. 



2.45. Sky fairly clear, iew cirro-cumuli ; 

 wind S.E. 



Day fine, wind East ; a few cirrus clouds. 



Prevailing wind East, passing to South 

 in evening : a few cirrus clouds, sky 

 clear. , 



2.15. Sky clear, few cirrus clouds : very i 

 warm. 7 p.m. Very cloudy during 

 afternoon. Clouds passing South of j 

 Pretoria. Iso rain ; wind S.E. i 



8.30 a.m. Heavy rain this morning. 

 1 p.m. Rain has almost ceased. Heavy I 

 rain clouds overhead. I 



Very fine day, few clouds, wind East. : 



2.30. Sky very cloudy, rain. 4.30. 

 Heavy thunderstorm cloud at South 

 of Pretoria ; no rain from, it up to 

 7.30 p.m. 



1.10. Yery heavy sliower and du.^t 

 storm ; wind South ; storm came 

 about S.W. ; no thunder at present. 

 3.40. Ealn has passed off ; wind West, 

 but sky very cloudy all over. 5,15. 

 Sky still cloudv, threatened rain, 

 slight thunder. 11.30 p.m. Bar. 

 651.15, temp. 21°. 



8.30 a.m. Clouds G, wind East. 3.35. 

 Heavy thunderstorm, strong wind 

 passed to North-east. 7.30. Second i 

 storm to !Nortb-\vest of Pretoria, 

 heavv clouds still. Midnight. Bar. 

 655.85, temp. 20.1, Heavy rain and 

 thunder, sky clouded all over. 



8.30. Sky cloudy, 5. 1 o'clock. Threat- 

 ened sbowers, sky 6. 3 o'clock. Heavy 

 shower. 5,40 a.m. Just ceased ; 

 heavy clouds. 9.4ii p.m. Bar. 658.25, 

 temp. 18.5. Cloudy and slight rain, 

 heavy squalls. 



9 a.m. Sky cloudy, 10. Heavy wind I 

 from East. 1 o'clock. Clouds 10. I 

 No rain, 7.20 p.m. Bar. 657.70, , 

 temp. 20. 12 Midnight. Bar. 657.80, I 

 temp. 18. 

 9.15. Clouds 10. 7.25 p.m. Bar. 655.95, 

 temp. 19°. Mist and drizzling rain 

 oft and on during the day ; wind I 

 changing from East to South-west. 

 9 a.m. Heavy rain this morning. | 



7.10 p.m. Rain durmg the day. 

 12.30 pm. Sky cloudy, wind S.E. Misty j 

 rain all the mornhig. 4 p.m. Yery ' 

 heavy showers lastuig au houi*, also 

 heavy wind, S.E. 9.45. Has been 

 pouring rain since 4 o'clock. Terribly 

 wet day, heavy wind. | 



9.30. Raining all the morning, little ' 

 wind. 1.40. Much rain all morning ; I 

 clouds 10. 4.10 p.m. Rain ceased, wind ! 

 S.E., sky cloudy. | 



