272 



George E. Nichols, 



the interior of the continent (see Table II), and also to that 

 which characterizes the Atlantic Coast farther south (at Charles- 

 ton, S. C, for example, out of an annual precipitation of 52.07 

 inches, only 39 per cent, falls during the period from October to 

 March). Snowfall in winter is usually heavy and, on account of 

 the backward spring, the snow commonly remains on the ground 

 for a long time. Fletcher ('85, p. 86) notes that in the middle 

 of June, 1881, patches of snow still lingered in sheltered situa- 

 tions, while in 1914 and 191 5 the writer observed snow-ice as 

 late as August at the foot of an open north- facing slope along the 

 Barrasois River. 



Humidity. — Fogs are more or less prevalent at all seasons, and 

 even in clear summer weather the humidity of the atmosphere is 

 quite perceptible. Figures regarding the rate of evaporation 

 throughout the growing season are not available, but during the 

 summer of 191 5, for a period of nearly three weeks, the writer 

 operated a series of porous cup atmometers in various habitats, 

 and the results obtained from those set up in the open near the 

 coast are given in Table III. The readings in the first four 

 columns of this table were taken near the Barrasois River. The 

 "Shore" station was situated on an exposed, east-facing hillside, 



TABLE III 



Rate of Evaporation Along the Coast of Northern Cape Breton 



During the Summer of 1915, as indicated by the 



Porous Cup Atmometer 



about a quarter of a mile from the seacoast. The "Intervale" 

 station was located in a similar site about five miles from the 

 shore, at the head of a broad open valley. The figures in the 

 fifth column were obtained from an instrument set up on a low 

 hill at Ingonish, within a stone's throw of the open ocean. The 

 average daily rate of evaporation for the entire period at the shore 

 stations was about 12.2 cc. During the period of July 22- 

 August 3 there was considerable rain and fog, while during the 



