THIETY years’ RAINFALL AT CLIFTON. 
39 
The last colamn in Table III. shows the average rainfall in 
each of the twelve months and in the entire year. The average 
annual fall will be seen to be 34*313 inches. A comparison of 
this amount with the annual average of other stations would be 
interesting, but does not fall within the scope of the present 
article. Examining the monthly averages, we find that the 
driest month of the year is April, witli 2*144 inches ; the wettest, 
October, with 3*793 inches. From April to October there is an 
almost unbroken rise, the only interruption to the order being 
that August is somewhat wetter than September. From October 
to April the sequence is less regular. It is worthy of note that 
the three driest months — February, March, and April — occur 
consecutively and that the three wettest months — August, 
September, and October — also occur consecutively. Speaking 
generally, the spring is the dry time of the year, the autumn 
the wet time. 
The three first columns of Table III. tell a very remarkable 
story. They present the average rainfall of the several months 
and of the year, derived from each of the three decades com- 
posing the 30 years. As regards the months, the discrepancies 
between the three columns are not perhaps surprisiijg, although 
it may be worth while to point out that the average of February 
derived from the third ten years is considerably more tliaii 
double the average of the same month derived from the first ten 
years. The annual results, however, are not a little singular, 
showing as they do a progressive increase in the quantity of 
rain. Between the first and second decades there is an increase 
of over two inches, between the second and third an increase of 
nearly six inches, the annual average derived from the ten years 
ending with 1882 being thus nearly eight inches in excess of 
that derived from the ten years ending with 1862. 
Different persons will draw from these facts different con- 
clusions. To some they may appear to indicate a law of 
