HERTFORDSHIRE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
lxi 
Ordinary Meeting, 24th March, 1885, at Watford. 
Professor John Attfield, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.C.S., President, in the Chair. 
The Rev. H. F. H. Burchell-Herne, Bushey Grange, Watford; 
Mr. James Hadley, Warwick House, Watford; Professor T. 
McKenny Hughes, M.A., F.S.A., F.G.S., Trinity College, Cam¬ 
bridge ; Mrs. Molyneux, Langley House, King’s Langley; Miss 
Pemberton, Langley House, King’s Langley ; and Mr. W. F. D. 
Schreiber, Dalton House, Watford, were elected Members of the 
Society. 
Mr. Daniel Hill, Herga, St. Andrews, Watford, and Mr. E. H. 
Hoddinott, 43, Upper Park Road, Haverstock Hill, London, U.W., 
were proposed as Members. 
The following papers were read :— 
1. “Meteorological Observations taken at Wansford House, 
Watford, during the year 1883.” By John Hopkinson, F.L.S., 
F.G.S., F.R.Met.Soc. ( Transactions , Yol. Ill, p. 181.) 
2. “ Meteorological Observations taken at Wansford House, 
Watford, during the year 1884. By John Hopkinson, F.L.S., etc. 
(.Transactions , Yol. Ill, p. 219.) 
The President asked what relation the average rainfall of the last nine years 
bore to that of a long period, and whether during the last few years a smaller 
quantity of water had not got down to the underground reservoir than formerly, 
owing to greater evaporation from the prevalence of wind and sunshine. 
Mr. Littleboy said that the underground reservoir had overflowed more fre¬ 
quently the last nine years than he remembered it ever to have done before. 
Mr. Hopkinson replied that the average rainfall at Watford for the last 25 or 
30 years was probably about 26 inches, while that of the nine years 1875-83, as 
stated in his paper, was 32 inches. The year 1874 was a dry year, and 1884 was 
the only dry year since that. It had been remarked that years ending with “ 4 ” 
were usually dry, and an endeavour had also been made to connect the rainfall 
with the sun-spot period, about 11^ years ; but he considered that any coincidences 
which could be traced were purely accidental; for if the fluctuations of the rain¬ 
fall depended upon cosmical phenomena, the rainfall of the whole world should be 
taken into account, and not that of a single country or county. The amount of 
percolation depended upon the period of the year when the rain fell, rain falling in 
summer evaporating and being absorbed hy vegetation to a much greater extent 
than rain falling in winter. The Hertfordshire Bourne had flowed about every 
alternate year lately, while once in five or six years seemed to have been more 
usual previously. It would therefore seem that there was, at least, no diminution 
in the supply of water to the underground reservoir. Increased drainage would 
affect this most, by carrying the water more rapidly off the land, and thus allowing 
a smaller quantity to percolate through the soil. 
3. “ Report on Phenological Phenomena observed in Hertford¬ 
shire during the year 1883.” By John Hopkinson, F.L.S., etc. 
(.Transactions , Yol. Ill, p. 191.) 
4. “Report on Phenological Phenomena observed in Hertford¬ 
shire during the year 1884.” By John Hopkinson, F.L.S., etc. 
(Transactions, Yol. Ill, p. 227.) 
Mr. Littleboy observed that there was a remarkable similarity in the report of 
1883 to the present season. The spring flowers came forward rapidly this year 
and were put back by unfavourable weather. There had been little progress the 
last fortnight. 
