Cockayne. — Plant Geography of the Waimakariri. 109 



Fourthly, as to Direction and Force of Wind. — The average 

 daily force in miles for the year and the maximum velocity in 

 miles in any twenty-four hours at Christchurch and Bealey 

 v^ere as follows : — 



1868. 



1869. 



1870. 



1874. 



1875. 



1876. 



1877. 



1878. 1879. 



Christchurch... 

 Bealey ... i97-6-509 



146-490 

 90-581 



137-420 

 133-750 



133-519 140-1319 

 136-3951 142-399 



116-691 



174-654 



164-566 

 191-552 



107-554 

 232*-665 



142-656 



* For ten months only. 



I do not think that these figures are very reliable ; at any 

 rate, they do not bring home to us the often great violence of 

 the wind. Sir J. Hector, in a note to the Meteorological 

 Eeport for 1873, writes as follows: "But the local modifica- 

 tions of both force and direction of the wind, due to the influ- 

 ence of mountains and gorges, affect the results even more 

 seriously than the disturbances referred to by the author — 

 Dr. J. Plann. The only reliable observations available in any 

 part of New Zealand are those taken from the motion of the 

 clouds." 



The next table, showing the frequency of the various winds, 

 is of great oecological imporLauce. It must be borne in mind 

 that the north, west, and north-west winds are rain-bringing 

 winds in the western part of the region and dry hot winds in 

 the eastern, especially on the Canterbury Plains. The south- 

 west wind is a rain-bringing wind in the east — often snow on 

 the mountains — but the rain comes in great gusts, and is very 

 cold ; when unaccompanied by rain it exercises a great check 

 upon vegetable growth, and will, by causing excessive tran- 

 spiration, blacken young growth of leaves and buds just after 

 the manner of frost. It also often blows for three days at a 

 time, occurring usually after a nor'-wester, and lowering the 

 temperature many degrees in a few hours. The north-east 

 and east winds are not nearly so violent as the south-west and 

 north-west, but they are very steady, also raw and cold, and 

 have a considerable mechanical influence on plant-structure as 

 well as promoting transpiration. The Christchurch records 

 only give an idea of the climate near the sea ; more inland 



