38 Mr James Straton on the Rain- Gauge. 



— the greater the quantity of the one, so was there of the other ; 

 (2.) to the state of the surrounding surface — there was least 

 earth as well as least water from the grassy surface, more 

 earth and most water from the hard smooth gravel, and most 

 earth with less water from soft bare soil. It was now de- 

 monstrated, in the first place, that the solid matter had been 

 driven into the gauges by the water, not the wind. The 

 drops of rain, on striking the ground, had been spattered 

 about, carrying particles of clay, sand, &c, with the water 

 into the gauges. But the second and most important particu- 

 lar demonstrated was, that all the gauges so placed regis- 

 tered too much rain, because they received a quantity of 

 water from the ground as well as their due proportion from 

 the clouds. But if they are liable to fallacy in rain they are 

 much more so when the water falls in the state of snow, and 

 more particularly under the action of wind. This is the 

 trying test of all gauges in every position, and of every form 

 and size. All varieties of ground surface are soon reduced 

 to one, that of snow, hard or soft, loose or dense, as the case 

 may be. The ingenious device, suggested by Mr Stevenson, 

 of a brush with the bristles pointing upwards round the 

 mouth of the receiver, would probably be more efficient than 

 the grass in preventing the spattering of water, but the 

 bristles of the brush, as well as the grass, even the whin 

 bush, and the hawthorn hedge, are often cased up in snow in 

 a few hours ; then all is smooth and level. In calm, the par- 

 ticles of snow and hail would dance as they fell, some leaping 

 into the gauge, and some away from it. In wind, the gauge, 

 whether large or small, would soon be filled by the surface 

 drift, though it got none from the clouds. 



The accompanying sketch of a scene which I passed through 

 on the morning of the 17th February 1853, will give an idea 

 of the difficulty of approximating accuracy with gauges, under 

 the action of wind and snow. The sketch represents a section 

 of a tolerably level plain, extending about a mile from north to 

 south, and nearly as much from east to west. A public road 

 has been formed at B, C, D, about 20 feet broad. The bank 

 A, on the north side, is about 12 feet deep, with a stone fence 

 on the top, about 3 feet high. On the opposite side are a 



