DECEMBEB, 1915. MONTHLP WEATHER REVIEW. 605 ater than would be the case for uniform capillary g w along the surface. 14. The rate a t which the snow is melted depends on the rate a t which heat can be absorbed by the snow sur- face per unit area with air ut the given temperature. The writer's esperinients indicate that the melting con- stant is about 0.04 to 0.06 inch depth of water per 34 hours per de ree of temperature above 33'F. Loose snow apparent 9 y absorbs heat at about the same rate as packed snow, but as the water equivaleiit of the former is lower, its rate of disappearance is much more rapid. 15. When snow overlies unfrozen ground, or frozen but porous and unsaturated soil, most of the water from melting percolates to the bottom of the snow layer and thence into the soil. The melting of snow or warni rain falling upon a snow cover under suitable conditions, is thus more favorable to the repleIiishnieii t of bare surface, since in t.he presence of mow, surface run- off is great.ly retmarded and the opportunity for iiifiltratiou increased. 16. Under suitable conditions and especially in the woods where the ground is least frozen, a deep layer of snow on level ground may wholly disappear by invisible percolation wit.liout causing any suiface run-off what- ever. Where there is opportunity for infiltration, the melting of snow contributes more to the grouncl water and lese to the surface run-off than would an equal volume of rain on n bare surface, and by providing a high ground-water level, the effect of the nieltiiig of snow cover may be felt for a 1011 er time after t.he snow has at the same time. water than would be nn equal volume of disappeared than if an equ 3 volume of ruin had fa.llen f . L j I. ' , METEOROLOGY AND SEIMOLOGY AT TRE PAN AMERI- CAN SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS. By C. FI~rzHmm TALIUAN, Professor of Meteorology. [Datod: Weather Bmwdu, Washington, Jan. 20,1!316.] In the Second Pan Aiuerican Scientific Congress, which met in Washington from December 27, 1915, to January 8, 191r5, inclusive, meteorology and reismology were repre- sented b a subsection of Seckioii 11. All se.ssioiis were On Tuesday morning, Decymber 23, the Subsection 011 Met-eorology and Seismology niet in conjuiiction wit,h tlm Subsection on Astroiioniy and Geoclesy. Dr. R. S. 'i5'00d- ward, chairman of Section 11, addressed the meeting, after which adminiatra.tive. business of the section was disposed of m c l a program of ast,ronomical and geodetic The first seprti.tc session of the H u swtion on Meteorology niid Seismology was held on t .1 ~ afternoon of Derenilwr 28. The att,entla.nce in this subsrctioii WVILY gratifyingly large, and t,llis branch of t,he Pan Bniericnn Scien bific Congress wns prohriblp Inore fully represei~ tativc of the met,eorologicul nntl seismological nc t,irit.ics of the Americas t.hati tiny scien t.ific gat,liering ever before 'helcl. Owing t.0 the length of the progrmi, it. was found ~iecessary, iiftcr the first session. t.o read by t:itle UU pfipeis the authors of which were not in attendance. The followin- nieteorologiste and seisniologists nttended one or more orthe sessions 818 niemheix of tmlie. Congress: Pr. I '. (;. .Ibbot.. Siiiitlisonian Inn:itu!.inn. Washin~ton. hr. IT. :\rctowslii. Kew York I ublic 1 ilmry. Xew York. Prof. 8. T. Bailey, Ilarvard 'ollege Obserratory, Cambridge, Mass. held in t f ie auditorium of the Cmiegie Institution. a ers was present,ecl. 26808-1G-2 Dr. L. A. Bauer, C,arnegie Institution, Waehington. E. A. Beals, U. S. Weather Bureau, Portland, Oreg. Prof. W. R. Blair. U. S. Weather Bureau, Washington. E. 1%. Bowie. U. S. Weather Bureau, Washington. C. F. Brooks; Yale University, New Haven. Prof. J. E. Church, jr., University of Nevada, Reno. ' Dr. €1. H. Clayton. Oficina Meteorol6gica Argentina, Buenoa Aires. Dr. I. M. Cline, G. S. Weather Bureau, New Orleans. Prof. IT. J. Cos, U. 8. Weather Bureau, Chicago. Prof. 0. I.. P'assig. I T . S. Weather Bureau, Baltimore. Prof. 11. C. Frankenfield. IJ. S. Weather Bureau, Washington. Rev. A. (;akin. 8. J.. Woodstock College, Woodstock, Md. Rev. M. (iutierrez-Lanza, 8. J., B,elhn Colle e. Habana. I'rof. A. J. Ifenrv. u. P. Weather Bureau, ifashisgton. Prof. R. 1%. €Iobhs, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor. Prof. W. J. Humphreys, U. S. Weather Bureau, Wuhington. Frof. X. Huntington, Sale University, Wew Haven. Dr. 1'. A. Ja.ggar. Volcano Observatory, Hawaii. Prof. H. H. lunibail, U. 8. Weather Bureau, Washington. Ih. C . J. Gullnier. Syracuse University, Syracuse, K. Y. llr. I.. T.anda. director general of public instruction, Honduras. Dr. C . Imyuin, director, Observatorio Meteorol6giro del Instituto M6- r'rof. (.!. t:. hlarvin. chieE, U. 8. Weather Bureau, Washington. Ing. J. C. Millirs y IIernBndez, subdirector of the Notional Observatory 1)r. T.'. IC. Bipher, Washington University, St. Louis. W. G . Heed, OHke of Farm Management, Department of Agriculture, Rev. 8. Sarasola. 8. J.. director, Observatorio del Colegio deMontserrtt, l'd. J. Warren Sniith. U. 5. Weather Bureau, Columhua. Ibr. W. F. 0. Swann, i'arnegie Institution, Washington. Prof. (!. 1'. Tahnan, I;. 8. Weather L(ureai1. Wmhington. A. 1;. l'hiessun, U. S. Wedier Ihresu. Salt I.ske City. Rev. 14'. A . Tondoif. S. J., Georget.onn University. Washington. .J. 1.'. Voorhrcs. 1.:. S. WaLther Hure:ui.Kno~ville.. I ' d . R. 1)eC. W?d. .lIarvard t7niversit.y. Cambridge, bluss. J2. L. Wells. li. S. Weather Bureau, Boise. Dr. It. S. Woodward, president, Carnegie Institution, Washington. The attendance included, in addition to these persons, several officials and employees of t.he Weather Bureau and others who were not members of t.he Congress. A brief account of the proceedings follows: . dico, Sucre, Bolivia. of Cuba, Hahana. Waxhiugton . Cieafuegos, C:ul)a. SECOND PAN AMERICAN SCIENTIFIO CONGRESS, WASHINQ- TON, DECENBER 27, 1915-JANUARY 8, 1916. MIh'ZiTES OF SOHXECTIO?J IIB, ME'PEOXOLOOY AND SEISMOLOGY. First ses&