3* 



The West American Scientist. 



to its highest perfections, it must not be imagined that it does so 

 at the expense of the loss of animal spirits or of physical courage; 

 as the exploits of ancient Sparta and of Alexander and his Greeks, 

 or of the Saracenic hosts and of the Spanish cavaliers on the 

 causeways of Mexico, are sufficient witnessess to the physical en 

 durance and courage of races nurtured in such a clime. 



One great promoter of health and longevity that exists in this 

 climate, and whose importance is generally overlooked, is the 

 relation that it bears to clothing; the same kind of clothing is 

 here worn at all seasons alike, neither winter nor summer clothing- 

 are ever required, but flannels and clothing of woolen-fabrics are 

 worn for the whole year throughout, so that the dangers incurred 

 elsewhere from improper dressing, as to seasons, are here entirely 

 avoided and escaped. 



The following meteorological summaries will convey an intelli- 

 gent idea of the general climatic conditions. In relation to the 

 data as to temperature it must be borne in mind, that the changes 

 are gradual, and one might say almost imperceptible, and the 

 changes that take place in the twenty-four hours do so with such 

 regularity as to their degree, and as to the time of their occur- 

 rence, that the mean may here be taken as the actual regularly 

 existing temperature at the hours given. The minima and 

 maxima both follow this rule as to the time of their occurrence — 

 the minimum being reached after midnight and the maximum 

 just prior to the advent of the sea-breeze: 



MEAN OF MONTHLY TEYIPKKATUBE AT SAN DIEGO, CAL., 1887. 





Jan. 



Feb 



Mar. 



Apr. 



May 



June 



July 



Aug. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Nov 



Dec. 



Taken from 16 years' 























average mean for 



53.5 



54.7 



56.0 



58.2 60.2 



64.6 



67.1 



69.0 



66.7 



62.9 



58.1 



56.0 



each month. 









I 

















Mean at 7 a.m. for '87 



47.5 



47.1 



51.7 



54.5 57.6 



60.5 



63.4 



63.5 



62.6 



59.3 



53.8 



48.9 



for each month. 

























Mean at 3 p.m. for '87 



60.9 



57.7 



62.4 



63.3 66.3 



68.5 



69.6 



69.6 



69.5 



69.6 



64.4 



60.5 



for each month. 

























Mean at ]0p.Mfor'87 



54.6 



53.9 



57.5 



59. ij 62.3 



64.9 



66.5 



65.4 



65.0 



64 6 



59.3 



54 5 



for each month. 



























Maximum for month 



74 



76 



82 



80 



79 



78 



79 



77 



79 



85 



82 



74 



— ] 887— 



























Minimum for month 



38 



38 



44 



44 48 



54 



60 



54 



58 



50 



44 



36 



—1887— 









1 

















Mean relative humid- 



70 



75 



79 



76 74 



80 



81 



80 



84 



72 



77 



71 



ity for 1887. 









1 

















It must also be observed that besides the main difference taking 

 place at night that the range between the mean of July at 3 p. M. , 

 and of January at the same hour is only 9 . The maximum tem- 

 perature recorded for the two months by the self-registering 

 thermometer being 74 forjanuary and 79 for July, a difference 

 of 5 , this being in day-time; while the minimum recorded at 

 night was for January 38 , and 6o° for July — the lowest tempera- 



