While great climatic changes have taken place since man’s first appearance on earth, presumably before the end of the ice period, historic time is too short to record any distinct modifications. Local ones may be in evidence such as West Europe’s transition to a less continental climate. A variation of this nature has been found not longer back than since thermometrical observations commenced. Thus the winters in Berlin during the period 1746–1847 were colder and the summers warmer than during 1848–1907. The difference for January amounted to -1.5° C. (-2.7° F.) and for May to +0.6° C. (+1.08° F.). The tabulation below, quoted from Ekholm, shows the mean temperature in Stockholm, Lund, London, and Paris, during winter (December-February), spring (March-May), summer (June-August), and autumn (September-November) and for the following periods: -------+-------------------+------------------ | _Stockholm_ | _Lund_ |-------------------+------------------ | _1799– | _1849– | _1753– | _1799– | 1848_ | 1898_ | 1798_ | 1898_ -------+---------+---------+---------+-------- Winter |+25.5° F.|+26.8° F.|+30.2° F.|30.9° F. | -3.6° C.| -2.9° C.| -1.0° C.|-0.6° C. -------+---------+---------+---------+-------- Spring | 37.9° F.| 37.9° F.| 41.2° F.|41.5° F. | 3.3° C.| 3.3° C.| 5.1° C.| 5.3° C. -------+---------+---------+---------+-------- Summer | 60° F.| 60° F.| 61° F.|60.2° F. | 15.6° C.| 15.6° C.| 16.1° C.|15.7° C. -------+---------+---------+---------+-------- Autumn | 43.9° F.| 43.5° F.| 45.9° F.|45.9° F. | 6.6° C.| 6.4° C.| 7.7° C.| 7.7° C. -------+---------+---------+---------+-------- Year | 41.9° F.| 42.1° F.| 44.6° F.|44.6° F. | 5.5° C.| 5.6° C.| 7.0° C.| 7.0° C. -------+---------+---------+---------+-------- -------+-----------------+----------------- | _London_ | _Paris_ |-----------------+----------------- | _1799– | _1849– | _1806– | _1849- | 1848_ | 1898_ | 1848_ | 1898_ -------+--------+--------+--------+-------- Winter |38.5° F.|39.2° F.|37.9° F.|37.9° F. | 3.6° C.| 4.0° C.| 3.3° C.| 3.3° C. -------+--------+--------+--------+-------- Spring |48.2° F.| 48° F.|50.5° F.|50.3° F. | 9.0° C.| 8.9° C.|10.3° C.|10.2° C. -------+--------+--------+--------+-------- Summer |61.9° F.|62.2° F.|64.6° F.|64.8° F. |16.6° C.|16.8° C.|18.1° C.|18.2° C. -------+--------+--------+--------+-------- Autumn |50.7° F.|50.5° F.|54.2° F.|51.8° F. |10.4° C.|10.3° C.|11.3° C.|11.0° C. -------+--------+--------+--------+-------- Year | 9.8° F.| 50° F.|51.3° F.|51.3° F. | 9.9° C.|10.0° C.|10.7° C.|10.7° C. -------+--------+--------+--------+--------