292 F. Waldo — Contributions to Dynamical Meteorology. 



states of the atmosphere, the deductions of some theorems, 

 and some instances of their use. These theorems are sure to 

 be of the greatest service in perfecting a theory of the vertical 

 interchange of air masses. A couple of pages also are devoted 

 to the subject of compound convection. The author closes 

 with some remarks on the importance of these ideas to any 

 future development of the subject ; and he makes some cor- 

 rections to his first paper (No. 12). 



JVo. H. — Professor Ferrel's contributions to meteorology are 

 too well known to the readers of this journal to require cata- 

 loguing. His book on "Recent Advances in Meteorology," 

 published as Part II of the Chief Signal Officer's Ann. Report 

 for 1885, contains for the most part a connected statement of 

 the results of his meteorological labors during a period of 

 about thirty years. This work was most acceptable to students 

 of meteorology because it gave in a single volume results of 

 the authors researches and the methods by which they were 

 reached, and in addition gave explanations of some points not 

 usually touched on in meteorological treatises. 



In the early part of 1886 Professor Ferrel gave a series of 

 forty lectures before a class of Signal Service officers at Wash- 

 ington, and this was the first and only time (so far as I am 

 aware) that he has given a personal systematic explanation of 

 his theories. Recognizing the value of these lectures the 

 Signal # Service authorities, I believe, made an unsuccessful 

 attempt to have them written down by a stenographer. A 

 number of Professor Ferrel's friends urged upon him the im- 

 portance of his giving the substance of these lectures to a wide 

 circle, and in compliance with their requests he prepared the 

 present volume. The contents of the volume are shown by 

 the following chapter headings : I. The constitution and na- 

 ture of the atmosphere ; II. The motions of bodies relative to 

 the earth's surface ; III. The general circulation of the atmos- 

 phere ; IV. Climatic influences of the general circulation ; 

 Y. Monsoons, and land-and-sea-breezes ; V I. Cyclones ; YII. 

 Tornadoes ; VIII. Thunder storms. Taken as a whole the 

 work gives a connected logical explanation of the cause of the 

 greater and lesser atmospheric motions ; and, as only very 

 simple mathematical reasoning is introduced in a few necessary 

 places, the book can be understood by the general reader. 

 Every teacher of physical geography, and of physics in general, 

 should read this volume, and no library should be without it. 

 We must consider it as the best and latest statement of the 

 views of Professor Ferrel, who has probably done more than 

 any other one person toward establishing a science of mete- 

 orology. 



Cincinnati, Jan. 1890. 



