Weather. By the Hon. R. Abercrombie. (Kegan Paul, Trench, and
Co.)—The writer htia striven to place before the general reader the science of weather and weather-forecasting as determined chiefly
by readings of the barometer displayed in synoptic charts, and by phenomena of the clouds. Most people have probably given up the weather in despair ; the use of the barometer has increased that feeling. And its behaviour to many seems utterly absurd and untrustworthy,—for instance, when it rises for a heavy fall of rain. In truth, it is the proverb again, "A bad workman," circ. From this volume we learn the basis of weather-changes, cyclones, anti-cyclones, and secondaries. The movements and rotation of these are deduced from the various shapes of isobars, or lines of equal barometric height, drawn through stations whose readings are the same. This process is the great advance which has been made in meteorology, the mapping-out of such lines constituting "synoptic charts." The writer introduces at also to the various kinds of clouds, and the valuable aid which they give to the science of forecasting is explained in such a manner as to give every one the chance of observing for himself. Mr. Abercrombie's treatise is not, however, confined to our own islands, but extends to tropical regions, where cyclones, though of the same order as ours, are much more violent, their rotation being greater, their translation less. Other dis- turbances, such as the two "monsoons," "typhoons," "tornadoes," and " pamperoe" are discussed. The last, indeed, the wind of the "Pampas," belongs to the same class as "line-squalls," in one of which the 'Eurydice' was capsized. Fortunately they are rare in these latitudes. The description of the arrival and passage of a tornado and a pamper° is graphically given. The tornado, indeed, is the most terrible of all phenomena ; its violence it seems impossible to exaggerate. The author doubts its identity with the cyclones, though allowing that the two have some features in common. Other violent manifestations of weather are " blizzards " and "bar. hers," which frequently trouble our Canadian cousins. The remain- der of the volume treats of types and spells of weather, and forecast- ing for solitary observers and the use of synoptic charts. The facile pen and thorough knowledge of the subject possessed by the writer should go a long way in dispelling the ignorance of the general reader, while the diagrams should excite his interest. The volume is well illustrated, and is a notable addition to the "International Scientific Series."
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