406 Transactions of the Soutli African Philosoijhical Society. 



The following table gives the results of the readings from December 

 21, 1902, to February 15, 1903 :— 



Period. 



Open 

 Gauge. 



Gauge with 

 Eeeds. 



Difference. 



Gauge at 

 Maclear's 

 Beacon. 



1902-3. 



Dec. 21 to Jan. 1 



1903. 



Jan. 1-11 



Jan. 11-18 



1-04 

 3-51 

 0-42 



15-22 



14-64 



16-66 (full) 

 16-66 ,, 

 16-66 „ 



15-22 



14-64 

 15-62 

 13-15 

 16-24 



( From Dec. 17, 

 1902, to 

 Feb. 16, 1903. 



Jan. 18 to Feb. 1 



Feb. 1-15 





Total 



4-97 



79-84 



74-87 



6-99 



For the sake of comparison I have added the total rainfall 

 observed at Maclear's Beacon, and kindly communicated to me by 

 Mr. Thomas Stewart. 



The observations came to an untimely end on the 15th of 

 February, because a week afterwards the gauges were found to be 

 destroyed. Although this incident prevented me from continuing 

 the observations to the end of the summer, it does not affect the 

 main question or the main result. 



This result is, that from December 21, 1902, to February 15, 1903, 

 that is, in fifty-six days, the gauge with the reeds had condensed a 

 quantity of moisture equivalent to 74-87 inches of rain, and that 

 quantity was recorded although the last three times the gauge had 

 overflown. It is not too much to assume that, as the season of the 

 south-east clouds extends over double that time, there would conse- 

 quently be a condensation of moisture, exclusive of all rain, of at 

 least 150 inches during the summer alone. 



If one considers that the average annual rainfall at Cape Town 

 (Town House) is 23 "84 inches, at the Eoyal Observatory 27*95, and 

 at Newlands (Bishop's Court) 55*54, which is almost the highest 

 record for any low-level station in the Cape Colony, the extra- 

 ordinary nature of these results is obvious, and it is not surprising 

 that the vegetation of our mountains is so different from that of the 

 hills. 



I do not wish to be understood to say that this amount of moisture 

 condensed by the reeds is in other respects equivalent to a similar 

 quantity of rain. It is well known that the first rainfall at the end 

 of the summer hardly affects the springs, the reason being that 



