ON THE RAINFALL. 303 



but, in proportion as the study of them extended, the magnitude, 

 grandeur, and general character of atmospheric phenomena came to 

 be recognised." 



In citing these views of M. Renou I am citing what has been cited 

 in France with approval ; and there is much in them with which I 

 agree, but this so combined with much with which I do not agree 

 that I am almost glad to have the opportunity to state wherein we 

 differ. 



I have given evidence of my belief that the primary distribution of 

 forests is attributable to the previous geographical distribution of the 

 rainfall ; but I consider that this is not incompatible with their 

 exercising an influence on the subordinate subsequent distribution of 

 the rainfall within the district in which they have grown : in 

 other words, that whUe the primary distribution of forests appears to 

 have been determined by the rainfall, once established, they may, and 

 they do, exercise a manifold influence on the rainfall. Sinbad's 

 adventures with the Old Man of the sea, and .iEsop's fable of the 

 horse being saddled and bridled by man, have made us acquainted — 

 many of us while yet young, acquainted — with the principle that con- 

 sequences may flow from an action which were not anticipated when 

 that action was performed. The Spaniards have a proverb to the 

 effect that Whoever gets a wife gets a master. The Scotch have 

 another version of the same proverb which is not less pat : their 

 version of it is — Whoever gets a man gets a master. And in many 

 lands it is seen that a family often produces on both of the parents a 

 very marked change of habit. So is it here, the mountains once 

 clothed with forests, all is changed. And it is to- what takes place in 

 this altered condition that the report cited refers. 



M. Renou seems to attach importance to storms of rain and storms 

 of hail advancing in a direct line, deviating from this in passing near 

 by a forest. On this subject M. Cezanne writes : — " On charts 

 which have been published by the Academy M. Becquerel has re- 

 presented the course of certain [thunder] storms. Some people have 

 thought that they could conclude from these charts that storms avoid 

 forests. But it should be remarked that these charts having been 

 prepared from testimony supplied by populations and Assurance 

 Companies, the abundance of documents establishing the devasta- 

 tions caused by the hail is not necessarily in exact relative propor- 

 tion of the frequency and violence of these storms : it depends more 

 especially on the density of the populations and the richness of the 

 crops. If the wooded regions do not supply documents towards 



