SUNSPOTS AND VOLCANIC AND SEISMIC PHENOMENA. 77 



tinental, is under cyclonic conditions. At the same time, Mauritius 

 being an oceanic island, is naturally under an ticy clonic conditions, 

 and has a minimum of rainfall." 



And (3): 



" The rainfall curve of Mauritius is comparatively simple and 

 shows an eleven (11) years cycle ; but the rise and fall is inverted 

 when compared with parts of India." 



It is readily seen that these conclusions are identical 

 with those which I have here put forward, and indicate 

 that rainfall, as well as many other aspects of climate, is 

 largely a geographical problem, which can and must be 

 solved, but which is rendered somewhat complex by the 

 numerous factors which have to be considered. 



The importance of observations on the advance and 

 retreat of ice-sheets and glaciers is often overlooked and 

 wrong inferences are often drawn from observations made. 

 Glaciers in the Alps advance in years of sunspot maximum, 1 

 a fact which shows, not that such a period is colder than 

 normal, but that precipitation at high altitudes is greater, 

 in other words that the vigour of atmospheric circulation is 

 above normal. In January, 1903, I paid a visit to Mount 

 Kosciusko, and found that all the snow had melted away. 

 Usually large drifts remain throughout the summer in the 

 deep and sheltered valleys. Local residents informed me 

 that very little snow fell during the winter of 1902, and 

 that already in November, Mount Kosciusko had lost his 

 snowcaps. Under normal conditions the precipitation of 

 snow is great in the Australian Alps and the drifts are 

 practically perennial. During the winter of 1898, when I 

 was one of the meteorological observers there, we were 



1 The annual number of deaths of tourists and others in the Alps from 

 avalanches, etc., is greater than normal in years of sunspot maximum. 

 During the past year such accidents have been abnormally frequent. 

 The cause is obviously that the accumulation of snow is at such times 

 unusually great, and spells of very hot weather loosen large masses, 

 giving thus rise to frequent avalanches. 



