1914.] BAILIWICK RAINFALL. 147 



sad havoc with the thickly foliaged trees. Considerable damage was 

 done to houses and greenhouses everywhere, but curiously enough by 

 the wind in most cases, not by the electrical fluid. The Town Church 

 roof was damaged in several places by the wind. 



The gale, similarly to the lightning and thunder, soon abated in 

 severity. Rain continued to fall for some time, but in the half-hour, 

 from 0*30 to 1 o'clock, 035 in. fell at Les Blanches." 



The total rainfall in connection with the storm was 0*41 

 in. at Les Blanches and 0*63 in. at the Guille-AUes Library. 

 At Sark Capt. Henry measured 0*27 in., while at Alderney 

 where Mr. Picot reported : " Heavy thunderstorm off the 

 Casquets," the amount was only 0*11 in. 



A very fine and perfect rainbow, with faint but also 

 perfect secondary bow, was visible at Guernsey for some time 

 at 6 p.m. on the day of the great storm. That day's sunset 

 too was gorgeous, wild, magnificent ; for brilliancy and 

 variety of colouring we have never seen its better. 



A very heavy cyclonic rain during the early hours of 

 September 17th gave 1*17 in. at Les Blanches and 1*31 in. at 

 the Guille-Alles Library. At Sark the depression gave 0*72 

 in. and at Alderney 0*61 in. 



No rain at all fell in any of the islands from September 

 20th to October 11th. This drought, of 22 days' duration, 

 was the year's longest spell of absolutely dry weather. Very 

 little of fine weather was experienced afterwards, but on the 

 contrary frequent and much rain for days and days together. 

 For instance November 5th was the last of 16 consecutive 

 "rain days" at Sark, of 17 at Alderney, and of 18 at 

 Guernsey, and the amounts measured totalled respectively 

 2*52, 3*32 and 3*79 in. On the last day of the month another 

 big cyclonic rain deluged the islands. At Alderney it proved 

 to be the year's second heaviest fall and of it Mr. Picot 

 wrote : " Exceptional rain all evening, and squally." The 

 measurements were : — 



Guernsey (Les Blanches) 092 in., Sark 0*85 in., Alderney 

 1*25 in. 



On Saturday, November 7th, the infrequent phenomenon 

 of a Transit of Mercury occurred. The time, 9.57 a.m. to 

 2.9 p.m., was extremely favourable for observation. As 

 regards weather very fair conditions prevailed during the 

 first hour and a half or so, but not afterwards. As however 

 optical help was necessary to show the planet projected on 

 the sun's disc no special interest in the event was aroused 

 here. 



About the excessive wetness of December something has 

 already been said in the Introductory. Dry days were few 



D 



