XXII. 
REPORT OX THE RAINFALL IN HERTFORDSHIRE IN 1890 . 
By John Hopkinson, F.L.S., F.G.S., F.R.Met.Soc., President. 
Read at Watford , IZth April, 1891 . 
There are several alterations in the staff of our observers of the 
rainfall in 1890, but the number of stations in our principal table 
remains the same as in the previous year. The return for Nash 
Mills being incomplete, owing to the gauge having been burst by 
the frost in November, that of the same observers for Apsley Mills, 
within a very short distance, is substituted for it; the falls of snow 
in March and December at Gorhambury not having been measured 
or estimated and added to the rainfall, the return for that station 
is omitted; and the observer at Bushey Heath has not sent in his 
return, reporting that his record is imperfect On the other hand, 
a new station has been started on Berkhamsted Common by Mr. \Y. 
Bonner Hopkins, at Fair hill; and Messrs. Paul & Son have com¬ 
municated their return for the Old Nurseries, Cheshunt. 
These alterations reduce the number of returns for the river- 
district of the Yer from four to three, and for that of the Lower 
Colne from three to two; and increase the number for the district 
of the Bulbourne from two to three, and for that of the Lower Lea 
from four to five. There are still five districts without observers : 
the Upper Ivel in the north, the Chess in the south-west, the Brent 
and the Upper Colne (i.e. the Colne above its junction with the 
Yer) in the south, and the Stort in the east. The only desideratum 
mentioned in the report for 1888 which has since been supplied is a 
second observer in the district of the Beane. 
Of the 80 stations from the returns for which the main portion 
of the present report is drawn up, I have the daily rainfall at 23, 
the same number as before. The records of the 8-inch and the 
ToW-acre gauge at Rothamsted are given in a supplementary table, 
as also are those for Nash Mills and Gorhambury, the probable fall 
at Nash Mills in November being computed, and additions for snow 
being made to the record for Gorhambury. A return for Hitchin, 
giving the daily rainfall, has been received from Mr. Francis Ran¬ 
som ; but, as his gauge has been moved during the year from 
Fairfield to Bedford Road, the record is given in the supplementary 
table. The new station will probably appear in the principal table 
in the report for 1891. 
The total number of stations for which returns have been received 
is therefore 33, and of gauges 35 ; and the number of daily records 
received is 24. 
Particulars of the 30 rainfall stations from the returns for which 
the mean rainfall, etc., for the county is deduced, and the monthly 
and total rainfall and number of days on which at least 0’01 inch 
of rain fell at these stations, are given in Tables I and II, pp. 180, 
181. The supplementary table (Table III, p. 182) gives the annual 
rainfall recorded by the five other gauges mentioned above. 
