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NATURE [MARCH I, 1906 elude that cases of resemblance between cuckoos' eggs STUDIES OF CLOUDS.' and those of the species in whose nests they are MR. CLA YDEN 'S work will be a standard one for deposited, are due to coincidence rendered possible ._ all students of clouds. \Vhen the now inter­ by a large degree of variation in the former." national classification was first proposed -by the late Although digressions are not announced on the title, Ralph Abercromby and the present writer, our pur­ the latter is wide enough to cover many things, and pose was to devise a classification for common use at many odd bits of out-of-the-way knowledge are woven all meteorological stations and in all the navies of the into this book, which is mainly concerned with birds. world. It is evident that such a classification must be A rather bitter attack on game preservers and sports­ simple and practicable. A great number of forms men (with a slap at the army dropped in) is sand­ must lead to constant errors when used by ordinary wiched between some most charming studies of wild observers. Therefore we only proposed the ten types life and natural scenery, written in clear and powerful given now in the international cloud atlas. and often quaint and humorous style. \Vhen has the We were well aware, however, and expressed the barn owl been more aptly described than in this pas­ view in plain words, that these ten forms are not sage? " Never a sound from wing or throat as it flaps sufficient for special studies of the transformation of or skims in the half-light, watching the ground with clouds or of the relations between cloud form and its cat's eyes as it goes, until suddenly the silence is weather. For these cases each of the ten great tvpes startled by a single, rasping yell such as might make must be divided into several subspecies, to which the hair stand on the back of every mouse for a proper names must be given. FIG. 1.-Cirro-nebula changing to cirro-cumulus. From II Cloud Studies." quarter of a mile around. The Arch-mouser is on the Various attempts have been made to extend the trail, and such a master of his craft that he appears scheme in this way. Abbe Maze in France, Prof. at times to toot his horn in contempt of his quarry. Koppen in Germany, the Rev. F. L. Odenbach in Or, is this sudden shriek used to start any mouse America, and, above all, the Rev. Clement Ley in that may be lurking below, so that when moving it England, have proposed and defined more detailed may be more readily discerned? " Mr. Boraston, too, classifications; and Mr. Clayden has now in his cloud sometimes wants to know why. The eighteen photo­ studies taken a great step forward in this direction. graphs which illustrate this nicely got up volume are The descriptions and the illustrations reproduced almost beyond praise. We have selected this one for from photographs are excellent, and everyone who is reproduction, not because it is by any means the most accustomed to observe the ever-changing panorama beautiful, but because of the cleverness with which of skies will admire the large amount of exact ob­ the whole of this rock, with its seaweed and its servations given in this book. The book contains oyster-catchers, has been focused; it will appeal reproductions of many typical cloud-forms and certain strongly to those who love our west coast and its intermediate forms showing the transformation of birds. The whole book will be welcomed and one cloud-form into another. treasured up by the great fraternity of British bird- 1 "Cloud Studie._," By Arthur W. Chyderi, !vi.A. Pp. xiii+184; 61 men. 0. V. APLIN. plates. (Lond )ll: John Murray! 1905.) Price 12s. net. NO J 896, VOL. 7 3] © 1906 Nature Publishing Group MARCH I, 1906] NATURE It is important to notice tha t the author a ccepts the of clouds to a w ork of the greatest v a lue, which should types of the international cloud a tlas a nd arranges his be studied with the greatest c a re. N o one w ho desires va rious forms as subforms of these types. There is, to s tudy t he tra nsformations of clouds or the relation however, one exception. Mr. C layden does not admit of cloud forms to weather can neglect t o consider the the nimbus cloud as a special type, but puts it under valuable results and ideas put forward by Mr. Clayden. the type stratus. He employs nimbus as an adjec­ Of course, it is not possible for an international tive indicating that rain is fallin g from a cloud. We committee or conference to establish a very detailed ca nnot a g-ree with this plan. Every form of cloud can classification of clouds, but we think it would be very be tra nsformed into another. It is , indeed, well useful if the a uthor would provide the pla tes a nd short known that the true typical forms a re rare, the descriptions as a small atlas for use in observatories majority of clouds being intermediate forms. Of and for specialists. course, it often happens that stratus cloud is trans­ H. H!LDET,RA N D HJLDEllRANDSSO N. formed to nimbus. The farmer in Sweden says, " if the fog is falling the weather will be fine , if the fog i1, lifting it comes back as rain." It is really the case TRANSPACIFIC LONGITUDES . tha t in certain weather conditions the fog follows the U RING the year 1903 Ca na da extended th e longi­ upward motion of the air; in the rising air the tem­ D tude work, carried from Greenwich t o Vancouver, perature falls, condensation goes on, a nd the light across the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand. This fog is transformed to a d ense nimbus with rain. wa s m ade possible by the completion of the British Ftv. 2.-High Cirrus (Cirrus Excelsus.) From " Cloud Studies." N evertheless, there is a v ast difference between the P acifi c C able- the All Red Line- in the a utumn of fog formed on or near the g round a nd the true 19 0 2 . The sections of the cable are:- canopy of nimbus cloud rushing forwa rd beneath a Nautical miles layer of alto-stratus in the fron t o f a s torm. But Va ncouver to Fanning Isla nd ... 3654 h ere, as a lways, one form does som etimes pass into F a nning to S uva, Fiji ... 2181 a nother. The alto-stratus does also som etimes sink Su va to ~ orfolk Island... 1019 Norfolk to Southport, Queensla nd 906 d own a nd become transformed into nimbus. \Ve know Southport to Doubtless Bay, New Zealand. .. 513 tha t during summer all low clouds, as a rule, assume m ore o r l ess the cumulus form. Thus we cannot say The o bservers (Dr. Otto Klotz a nd F. W. 0. \Verry) tha t a stratus or an alto-stratus is a nimbus more were provided with practically identical instruments, tha n tha t a stratus or a nimbus is a cumulus. the principal ones being the two Cooke transits, of 3 It is not possible to give in this s hort notice a de­ inches clear a perture, and of about 36 inches focal scription of the different forms presented in this book. leng th. Cement or brick piers were built a t every \Ve must also abstain from an exposition of the sta tion . The observers occupied alternate s ta tions author's views regarding the causes which produce across the P a cific, and as the number of stations is the different cloud forms. These views are in most odd, Southport a nd Doubtless Bay are free from the cases hig hly probable, a nd in all cases useful hints persona l equa tion, without a direct d etermina tion of are given for further investiga tions . Our purpose now the la tter , a lthoug h the persona l equa tion was deter­ is only to direct the attention of our fellow-students mined . M r . \Verry occupied F anning a nd Norfolk, NO. I 896, VOL. 7 3] © 1906 Nature Publishing Group.

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