was measured on but 9 days; and in 1880 the rainfall was only 563 of an inch on but 8 days, In January, 1886, 3.244 inches of rain were measured on as many as 26 days; in 1887 ("the dry year "), 1.816 inches fell on 16 days; in 1888, 1.247 inches on 9 days; in 1889, 2-213 inches on 16 days; in 1890, 2-975 inches on 21 days; and in 1891, only -672 of an inch on 14 days.

Solar halos were seen on the 15th and 21st. Lunar halos were seen on the 9th and 11th. There was an aurora borealis on the night of the 5th. The atmosphere was foggy on the 18th and five following days, as also on the 31st. High winds were noted on 15 days, reaching the force of a gale on six days-the 7th, 10th, 16th, 27th, 28th, and 29th. Hail fell on the 7th and 10th, and snow or sleet on the 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 14th. Temperature exceeded 50° in the screen on 6 days, compared with only 5 days in January, 1891, 17 days in January, 1890, and 8 days in January, 1889; while it fell to or below 32° in the screen on 15 nights, compared with 7 nights in January, 1891, 1 night in January, 1890, and 3 nights in January, 1889. The minima on the grass were 32°, or less, on 25 nights, compared with 21 nights in January, 1891, 15 nights in January, 1890, and 16 nights in January, 1889.

At the beginning of the month the weather was cold but fine. Very inclement, winterly weather held during the week ended Saturday, the th, which proved to be the coldest experienced in Dublin since the present winter began. The type of distribution of atmospherical pressure was markedly cyclonic in the N. and N.E., anticyclonic in the S. W. of Europe. A series of deep depressions passed southeastwards across Scandinavia and the Baltic, while a succession of secondary, or subsidiary, depressions travelled in the same direction across the British Islands. Hence fresh or strong winds and gales from W.S.W, to N. were felt in Scotland and Ireland, where snow, hail, and sleet fell in large quantities on several days. On Tuesday, the 5th, a temporary rise of the thermometer occurred in front of one of the depressions and drizzling rain fell in Dublin, but next day, after rain and snow, the weather cleared, becoming fine and cold. At night a heavy fall of snow occurred, and this was followed on Thursday afternoon by a downright "blizzard." On Friday, also, snowstorms occurred over nearly the whole of Ireland, and on Saturday a sharp frost prevailed, which became intense in the evening. In Dublin height of the barometer was 29.764 inches, pressure ranging between 30-261 inches at 9 a.m. of Monday (wind N.W.), and 29-232 inches at 4 p.m. of Thursday (wind W.). The corrected mean tempera34.2°, the mean dry bulb readings at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. being 33.0°. The screened thermometers rose to 45-4° on Tuesday and fell to 24.0° on Saturday, when the grass minimum was 17.8° at 9 p.m. The rainfall (almost entirely in the form of snow and hail) was 283 inch on

the mean

ture was

five days. Of this amount 104 inch fell on Friday. The prevailing wind was N.W. Aurora borealis was seen on Tuesday night, and a lunar halo appeared on Saturday evening.

Very cold, inclement weather continued through the week ended Saturday, the 16th, but in Ireland a decided thaw set in on Friday and was followed by a gale from S. to S.E. and heavy rain on Saturday. Up to this time the changes of atmospherical pressure over North-Western Europe were very erratic and irregular. On Sunday a well defined depression lay over Brittany and Normandy, and caused a strong N.E. wind on the east coast of Ireland, where a temporary thaw set in, accompanied by hail showers and some thunder and lightning at 10 p.m. In the early morning of this day the frost had been very intense in Central Ireland at 8 a.m. the thermometer read 13° at Parsonstown, and even in the city of Dublin temperature had been down to 22.2° in the screen and to 16.0° on the ground. Monday was again very cold, and at night frost returned. Both the barometer and thermometer now became very unsteady and so continued until Friday, when an extensive and deep depression began to "edge in" from the Atlantic. This caused steep gradients for southerly winds, a rise of temperature, and heavy rain on Saturday. In Dublin the mean height of the barometer was 29-645 inches, pressure ranging between 30.095 inches at 9 a.m. of Monday (wind N.) and 29-125 inches at 2 p.m. of Saturday (wind S.E.). The corrected mean temperature was 34.4°, the mean dry bulb reading at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. was 34.5°. The screened thermometers rose to 41-6° on Saturday, having fallen to 22.2° on Sunday. The rainfall amounted to 749 inch on three days, 618 inch being measured on Saturday. The wind was variable in direction.

The week ended Saturday, the 23rd, witnessed the gradual establishment of a warm southwesterly current over the whole of the British Islands, while the weather remained extremely cold in Russia, Scandinavia, and Central Europe. The period opened with a gale from S. E. and heavy rain in Dublin, but the wind moderated early on Sunday morning, and a spell of calm, damp, foggy, dull weather set in, lasting until Thursday. The fog was particularly dense on Tuesday morning, when temperature was slightly below freezing point in the screen. On Thursday the south wind freshened in Ireland, blowing a moderate or fresh gale on the southern and western coasts. The last two days were changeable and rainy or showery at times. On Saturday a very decided rise of temperature took place, the thermometer exceeding 50° in Dublin for the first time since December 29, 1891. On the Continent the cold was very intense during the week. At Munich the thermometer fell to 3° on Thursday morning, and at Haparanda, on the Gulf of Bothnia, the minimal temperatures were -13°, -17°, —7°, -14°, -17°, -15°, and -19° (?) respectively. In Dublin the mean height of the barometer was

29-759 inches, pressure ranging between 29.444 inches at 9 a.m. of Sunday (wind S.E.) and 29.979 inches at 9 p.m. of Wednesday (wind calm). The corrected mean temperature was 40.0°. The mean dry bulb temperature at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. was 39.6°. The screened thermometers rose to 51.8° on Saturday, having fallen to 29.0° on Thursday. Rain fell in measurable quantity on four days-the total amount being 344 inch, of which 168 inch was referred to Friday. The atmosphere was often calm, but S.E. Winds prevailed at the beginning, and S.W. winds at the close of the week.

As regards the week ended Saturday, the 30th, the change to milder weather which began in the course of the previous week was completed in the period now under review-the mean temperature of which was considerably above the average. Throughout the week the barometer was highest over the Atlantic to the southward of Ireland and over the Bay of Biscay; lowest over the Norwegian Sea. The gradients, were, therefore, for westerly winds; and they were particularly steep on Friday and Saturday. At 8 a.m. of Friday the barometer readings decreased from 30-67 inches at Biarritz to 28.87 inches at Bodö in the N. W. of Norway. On Saturday morning the reading at Biarritz was 30-64 inches; at Christiansund in Norway, it was 28.45 inches, or 2.19 inches lower. At first the weather was rather cold, but on Tuesday it became very mild and so continued to the end-Friday was the warmest day of all, for the thermometer rose to 58° at Aberdeen, 55° at Donaghadee, 54° in Dublin, and 53° in London. It is not a little remarkable that intense cold held in Russia during the week, the thermometer, for example, reading -35° at Moscow at 8 a.m. of Wednesday. From Tuesday until Saturday the wind blew strongly-at times with the force of a fresh gale-from S.W. or W. In Dublin the mean height of the barometer was 30-163 inches, pressure ranging from 30-484 inches at 3 p.m. of Monday (wind, S.W.) to 29-815 inches at 9 a.m. of Wednesday (wind, S.W.). The corrected mean temperature was 45.8°. The mean dry bulb temperature at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. was 45.4°. The screened thermometer rose to 54-0° on Friday, having fallen to 35.9° on Monday. Rain fell on six days in measurable amount, but the quantity was not largeonly 143 inch, of which 074 inch was referred to Wednesday. The prevailing winds were W. and S.W.

Sunday, the 31st, was fine but cloudy. In the afternoon, the weather became very soft and mild.

In Dublin, the rainfall up to January 31, 1892, has amounted to 1-698 inches on 20 days, compared with a twenty-five years' (1869-1889) average of 2.200 inches on 17-3 days.

At Knockdolian, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, only 1.045 inches of rain. fell on 15 days. The heaviest falls in 24 hours were 200 inch on the 16th, and 170 inch on the 17th.

PERISCOPE.

ARMY MEDICAL STAFF.

THE following is the official list of successful candidates for commissions in the Medical Staff of Her Majesty's Army, at the examination held in London in February, 1892:

EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR HER MAJESTY'S ARMY AND INDIA!

MEDICAL SERVICES.

Natural Sciences.-Dr. Allman-Tuesday, 9th February, 1892-from p.m till 6 p.m.-[N.B.-The replies to be written with the ink provide and not with a pencil or pale ink.] Zoology-1. Refer to its sub-kingdo and class an animal with the following characters, and give examples:Body with transverse segmentation; a ganglionated ventral chord; hea thorax, and abdomen distinctly separated; respiration by trachea. What are the essential characters by which the cœlenterata are distă guished as a separate group of the animal kingdom? Give one or 100 examples of a colenterate animal. 3. Give (qualitatively) the compos tion of cellulose, and adduce from the animal kingdom some instance show that cellulose is not, as formerly supposed, exclusively confined plants. Botany-4. Mention any instance known to you in the lif history of a plant which illustrates the law of Alternation of Generation 5. What are the principal substances which may be deposited in walls of the vegetable cell so as to give it rigidity and increase its pow

of resisting organic decomposition? Cite some instances of plants in which cells so constituted occur. 6. Refer to its natural order a plant with the following characters, and give one or more examples:-Leaves alternate without stipules; calyx formed of two sepals which are caducous ; corolla with four petals; stamens numerous, inserted on the receptacle ; fruit a single-celled capsule with parietal placenta; seeds numerous with oily albumen. Physics-7. Explain the formation of dew. 8. State the evidence on which we affirm the former existence of glaciers in places where they are no longer to be found. 9. What is meant by the “Torricellian vacuum?" On what physical properties does the existence of this vacuum depend?

Anatomy and Physiology.-Sir Joseph Fayrer.-Monday, 8th February, 1892—from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m.-1. Describe the inferior maxillary bone, giving an account of the muscles, ligaments, and other parts of importance connected with it. 2. Describe the origin, course, distribution, and functions of the musculo-spiral nerve. 3. Describe the structure, anatomical relations and functions of the large intestine. 4. Describe the origin, distribution, and communications of the portal vein; give an account also of the character and composition of the blood contained in it, and the office it performs in the animal economy. 5. Describe the structure, anatomical relations, and connections of the peritoneum.

Medicine.-Sir William Aitken.-Tuesday, 9th February, 1892—from 10 am. till 1 p.m.-1. A case for analysis and commentary:- -Private W. R., 4th Battalion 60th Royal Rifle Brigade, had seven years' service when he died on the 25th of July, 1865, at Montreal. He was then thirty years of age; had been a hard liver, intemperate, and frequently a prisoner. He had been four years at the station (Montreal) at which he died. In 1859 he suffered from hæmorrhoids, but generally was at his duty and not sickly. Early in July, 1865, he complained of diarrhoea, which was prevalent among the men at the time. For this affection he had medicine on two or three occasions, and reported himself relieved thereby. On the morning of the 14th of July he was admitted into hospital. His face was blanched, his lips bloodless, and his general aspect that of a man in the first stage of cholera. He complained then of nausea and diarrhoea. A diaphoretic stimulating draught containing an anodyne was administered, and the patient put to bed. The next day he complained of tenesmus and a feeling of fulness in the rectum. He had been two or three times during the night to the night-stool, but bad passed only six ounces of fluid blood. The examination of the abdomen by manipulation caused no pain, nor revealed any abnormality; and no signs of hæmorrhoids could be detected. The day following admission some feculent matter was passed. It was consistent in substance but pale in colour, and with it came away another discharge of blood. On the 17th (fourth day after admission) a large enema of luke