1 24 MESSER. 4Y. N. SHA^V AXD H. DTXES; METEOROLOGICAL OBSERYATIOXS 
place on the West Coast of Scotland. It was decided that, if possilde, a steam vessel 
shonld 1)6 enpfioyed, since this would enahie oh.serA'ations to lie made in comparatively 
calm weather when otherwise no ascent conld lie made. 
Locality of Observations. 
The observations were made partly from a small island in Crinan Bay, Argyllshu’e, 
hut chiefly from the deck of a steam tug in the Sounds of Jura and Scarba, or on the 
open sea lying to the South of Mull. The position is indicated by circles with Crinan 
Harbour as centre, drawn in the charts included in fig. 5, p. 135. Could anyone have 
ascended with the kites, he would on every occasion have had a clear view, apart from 
mist or clouds, of the Atlantic Ocean lying to the westward, and since the winds, 
with a few exceptions, were from some westerly point, the results obtained may be 
taken as approximating to the conditions prevailing over the open sea. 
AjyKiratiis and Methods. 
Details of the apparatus used and the methods employed for raising the kites are 
published in the ‘ Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society,’ vol. 29, 
p. 65. 1903. It will be sufficient to state here that flying a single kite from a small 
steam tug is a very simple and easy process under all ordinary conditions of weather. 
With a vessel steaming 12 knots, a kite, with recording instruments attached, could be 
sent up at any time that the wind did not exceed force 8 on the Beaufort scale. The 
tug used at Crinan could not steam more than 7 knots, and a kite could not be 
started unless there were sufficient wind to make a ripple on the surface ot the water. 
Unfortunately the summer of 1902 was not a favourable one for kite work in that 
particular locality, as there were a large number of very calm days. On these days, 
with the assistance of the tug, there was always a chance of raising a kite to at least 
1000 feet, but it was not always possible to get sufficient lifting power to raise the 
instruments. On the other hand, there were a few days on which the vind ecjualled 
or exceeded force 7, a moderate gale; on these days a kite could be, and in fact vas, 
sent up, but as the Committee were unable, for want oi funds, to pro^ ide a spare set 
of recording instruments, it did not seem advisable to risk the loss of tiie single set 
by sending them up in v^ery strong winds. 
Between June 19 and August 26, 71 ascents were made with an average height of 
4200 feet (1280 metres). In 40 of these, with an average height of 5900 feet 
(1798 metres), records from self-recording instruments were obtained. Those on 
July 4 and 7 were from land, the others from the tug. I he great advantage of a 
steam vessel for this pui'pose is shown by the fact that wliereas during the thiee 
weeks when ascents were made from the land, it was only found possible to get a kite 
up on ten occasions and the instruments on two occasions, during the seven weeks when 
the tu<^ was used 61 ascents were obtained ; a height of at least 1350 feet vas leached 
