Shorter Notices
This Weather of Ours. By Arnold B. Tinn. (Allen and Unwin. 10s. 6d.) THIS very readable account of British weather aims at nothing abstruse. It is written for the man in the street, who, Mr. Tinn shows, harbours many misconceptions. Yet, in spite of simplicity, it provides, in its 15o pages, a satisfying array of facts. Chapters deal with the causes of our weather, with rain, thunderstorms and snow, with heat and cold and the effect of weather on ourselves. Mr. Tinn demonstrates that weather may vary considerably in a small area ; cities themselves modify it. The famous Gulf Stream is shown to have little part in causing our mild winter, and many other stoutly- held beliefs are disproved. Manchester is not particularly rainy, nor is Bournemouth particularly warm. Snowy Christmases were as rare in the past as today. So were very sunny summers. People who talk about " the good old times " are tending to remember only exceptional days. A damp mild winter is more healthy than a cold dry one. March does not come in like a lion and go out like a lamb ; nor has the St. Swithin's Day legend-any truth.' Nor does the weather " change with the moon" ; in any case, the moon is changing all the time. The 'cause of the electrical tension making lightning is not yet fully understood ; but a thunderstorm does not necessarily " clear the air." With so many misconceptions abroad it is obvious that a book of this kind can be useful, and its -palatability is increased by phOtographs and diagrams. Mr. Tinn concludes that "our British climate, with its winds from the Atlantic Ocean, its freedom from excessive heat and Cold, is a wonderfully healthy one." He suggests the private keeping of weather records, not only because these may assist the Meteorological Office but because they give the observer a perennial interest.
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