Introduction: Seasons and Winds. 23 



especially on the table-lands. The warmth of the day itself is also subject to 

 more or less variation, according as the moisture out of the First Zone rises 

 sooner or later and in greater or less quantity, which, forming into clouds, inter- 

 cepts the rays of the sun. Owing to the lesser heat and to the ground also 

 being less damp, less vapour rises here than in the First Zone and consequently 

 the atmosphere in general contains less moisture, the mean quantity of vapour 

 being 1 5-7 grammes to the cubic metre, while 2115 grm. at the lower and 

 16-88 grm. at the upper boundary are necessary for saturation. The degree of 

 moisture also varies much in different localities; it is much greater over the 

 wet rice-fields ('sawahs'j and dense woods than over stretches of grass or 'alang- 

 alang', or over plantations of shrubs (tea, coffee). Also the masses of mist driven 

 ujj from lower territories by the sea-breeze produce great differences. These 

 mists condense here more quickly than in the warmer temperature of the First 

 Zone, and often very heavy storms and showers suddenly result. As to this 

 division it should be remarked that in the west part of Java the atmosphere is 

 much damper than in the eastern portions of the island. The West Monsoon 

 in the highest parts of this Zone is already felt in less force, and consequently 

 the difference between the seasons (the wet and the dry) is here much less 

 marked than in the lower districts, and even when the West Monsoon is in 

 full force in the First Zone, the East Monsoon (the Trade-wind) often blows 

 here for days in succession. 



"In the Third or Cool Zone the mean temperature is IS-T" C. (65-7" F., 

 14-9" R.) at the lower and 13" C. (55-4« F., 10-4» R.) at the upper boundary. 

 The difference of temperature between day and night is here much less marked 

 than in the First and Second Zones; the plateau of Mt. Dieng (6300 ft.) pre- 

 sents an exception to this rule, the difference here being so great that the dew 

 on bright nights sometimes freezes into rime. In this Zone the air, which, in 

 consequence of the diminished warmth cannot carry so great a quantity of water, 

 is entirely saturated with water-vapour (16-88 grm. to the cubic metre at the 

 lower and 11-60 grm. at the upper boundary). The mists rising from the lower 

 regions condense here to such an extent that this Zone might literally be called 

 the Zone of Clouds. They sometimes begin to form as early as nine o'clock 

 in the morning, especially on declivities covered with forest; from 11 or 12 till 

 2 or 3 o'clock everything is covered with thick fog, which discharges itself — 

 often simultaneously in different places — in storms of thunder and rain, after 

 which alone the sun makes its way again through the clouds. But when the 

 clouds are not broken up in this manner, so thick a fog covers everything for 

 the rest of the day that it is impossible to distinguish an object at twenty-five 

 paces, and it is not till after sun-down that the fog settles on the earth as dew. 

 This, however, is more particularly applicable to the lower parts of this Zone, 

 where the clouds gather most thickly; they seldom ascend to the upper parts, 

 and then in less quantity, in consequence of which the showers there are rarer 

 and less heavy. The influence of the West Monsoon is here almost entirely 



