Mr James Straton on the Rain-Gauge. 45 



commotion to the least possible extent, must necessarily be 

 the best in constant efficiency and accuracy. All the square 

 form of gauges which I have seen used, seem to me to com- 

 bine the defects of the worst round ones, in an exaggerated 

 degree, but experiment only can settle the question. This 

 much I consider certain, however, that the round is not 

 inferior in efficient accuracy, and is decidedly superior in 

 strength and facility of construction. Of the round form of 

 gauges, some are conical, like the common tin funnel used in 

 filling bottles— some are oval like the egg-shell from which 

 we cut off the broader end at breakfast, and others are cylin- 

 drical like a piece of plain tube. If they are narrow, and 

 deep in proportion to their diameter, all are about equally 

 useful. If they are broad and shallow, about as deep as 

 they are wide, they are all about equally useless. Of the 

 three I prefer the cylinder, about an inch and half in dia- 

 meter, and three to four times as deep — say 6 inches — as it 

 is wide. 



I have not selected the inch and half receiver, because it is 

 superior to either the one or the two inch diameter, but be- 

 cause it is not inferior to these, and is also large enough for 

 strength of material, and facility for accurate construction. 



The following readings during the past year (quite con- 

 sistent with preceding years) are given to shew the registra- 

 tion of an instrument of the form and size just described in 

 comparison with an oval (egg-shell shape) receiver of 6^ 

 inches diameter by 5J deep. The latter is an elaborate and 

 complicated instrument of copper, glass and brass, planted 

 at the Girdleness lighthouse ; it is one of many similar be- 

 longing to the Northern Lights Commission. The two 

 gauges are situate but a short distance apart, and under pre- 

 cisely similar circumstances. 



1852. 1853. 



O * ft £ £ 

 431 3-3 5-2 3-1 3'88 1 Monthly 

 I depthsof 



6 1 0-2 0-6 1-75 2-1 154 2-14 3.0 3-14 2-38 381 264 2-1*/ She's & 



decimals 



* Dry snow with strong gales of wind throughout the month. 



fcJO 



a 



Mar. 



Apl. 



1. 



1J 



0-53 0-6 



c6 



a 







9 





d. 



*5 



»-s 



l-B 



< 



02 



•91 



2-37 



1-7 



2-2 



3-3 



