408 Transactions. 



(39.) Buller, " Supplementary Volumes to the Birds of New Zealand." 



(40.) Sandager, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxviii, p. 8. 



(41.) Yate. " Account of New Zealand," p. 65. 



(42.) Buller, " History of Birds of New Zealand." 



(43.) Hutton and Drummond, " Animals of New Zealand," p. 120. 



(44.) Fulton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxxvi, p. 133. 



(45.) Newton, " Dictionarv of Birds," pt. i, p. 120. 



(46.) Hume, "' Birds of India," p. 140. 



(47.) Potts, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol.* xxiii, p. 219. 



(48.) Ihis, 1902. 



Art. L. — The Remarkable Rainfall and Meteorology of Waihi. 

 By H. B. Devereux, F.R.Met.Soc. 



[Bead before the Aucklnnd Institute, 22nd Xnvember, 1909.] 



Before entering into the subject-matter of this paper it will be necessary 

 to refer to the peculiar topographical features of the Waihi district. 



Waihi, which is situated on a more or less circular basin, about five 

 miles in diameter, and averaging about 350 ft. above sea-level, lies at the 

 western end of the Bay of Plenty. It is flanked seawards by the high 

 abruptly rising coastal range, and to the west-south-west by the Cape Col- 

 ville Range, which has its highest point in Te Aroha Mountain. Irregular 

 ridges bound the basin to the south-east, and on the north-west a moderately 

 high range, of irregular features, completes an apparent circle. Several 

 isolated hills of moderate height, mostly described as " barren clay hills," 

 and bearing evidences of the denuding effect of strong westerly winds and 

 heavy rainfall, rise from the plain. 



In a meteorological sense, the most notable feature of Waihi is not so 

 much the fi'equency as the intensity of its rainfall. It will be the endea- 

 vour of the writer to throw some light on the agencies which bring about 

 such remarkable records. 



First in importance are those cyclones which come — (1) from the neigh- 

 bourhood of Norfolk Island, and, passing eastward of North Cape, pass to 

 the northward of East Cape ; (2) approaching East Cape from about north, 

 but passing eastward of it, and when southward of it take a more south- 

 east direction. As a rule, the track of these systems is well to seaward, 

 but sufficiently close to cause very heavy rainfalls. Occasionally the track 

 is across the Island, between Taupo and East Cape : this movement is 

 accompanied by heavy easterly gales, severe backing winds, and intense 

 rainfall. This forward movement across the island, however, is the ex- 

 ception, for the physical features of the land seem to have the power of 

 deflecting these storms to seaward. The passage of a cyclone to the east 

 is, as a rule, not accompanied by heavy southerly backing winds, for Waihi 

 is well sheltered in this respect by the high country to the south and south- 

 east. 



Again, a common feature of the meteorology of this locality is the 

 junction of a westerly wave depression with a cyclone, with the usual effect 



