106 
which rain fell for the same period is 208. But the rain- 
fall of last year was 45*175 inches, showing an excess of 
9*052 inches or about the average fall of rain for a quarter 
of a year, and the number of days on which rain fell 
was 250, showing almost as great an increase in the 
number of wet days for the year as the excess of rainfall. 
I have looked through my register of the last 17 years to 
see if any rule could be observed relating to the excess and 
deficiency of rainfall. I find that in 13 of those years there 
are two epochs of dry and wet years, with intervals closely 
resembling those of the intervals of the sun-spot periods : 
for example 1865 was a very dry year, having a rainfall of 
27*809 inches on 177 days, and the fifth following year, 
viz, 1870 was the next dry year, having a rainfall of 
30*404 inches on 178 days; the next interval is one of three 
years, viz, 1873, when the rainfall was 31*127 inches on 
219 days. Then with regard to the wet years, I find in the 
same number of years that 1866 was very wet, having a 
rainfall of 43*076 inches on 232 days, and that the sixth 
following year was the next very wet one, having a rain- 
fall of 48*416 inches on 264 days. Then after an interval of 
five years there comes another very wet one, viz., in 1877, 
when the rainfall was 45*175 inches on 250 days. Thus in 
an interval of nine years there are three dry years, and in 
an interval of 12 years there are three wet years. 
The following table shows the results obtained from a 
rain-gauge with a lOin. round receiver placed 3ft. above 
the ground. 
