ANTARCTIC LAND OF VICTORIA—ZIMMERMANN. 347 
of three years, temperatures in the neighborhood of —35° C. between 
December and April. One can, perhaps, discover in this less severe 
antarctic winter the effect of a more intense atmospheric circulation. 
In reality these temperatures are extremely variable in detail. All 
changes in the condition of the atmosphere, changes of pressure or 
of wind, the transition from wind to calm, or vice versa, are in 
Victoria Land reflected by the temperature. 
The periods of great cold always occur during periods of calm. 
The south wind, for some inexplicable reason, is relatively warm. In 
the midst of this intense cold of midwinter “one would see always 
appear as an oasis of heat.” From another standpoint the station 
of the Discovery was, for little known reason, much less cold than the 
region round about, notably Cape Armitage, or Ross Island and 
Cape Crozier. 
The amount of precipitation was from necessity measured by 
means of stakes, since all fell as snow; but in case of a storm it was 
not possible to say whether the snow actually fell from the clouds 
or was merely drifted by the winds. All exact >.bservation was 
therefore impossible. There is nevertheless reason for thinking, 
judging from the constant height of the snow about the measuring 
stakes, that the actual amount of fall was slight. 
On the other hand, the observations made on the rate of evapora- 
tion show surprising results. During the five winter months the rate 
of evaporation in MacMurdo Sound was, notwithstanding the low 
temperature, almost double the mean values observed at Cambridge 
Square (London) in a temperature 30° higher. 
One asks how, in the presence of immense surfaces of ice and snow 
undergoing evaporation, so dry an atmosphere can exist. Mr. Dines 
thinks that Ross Barrier forms an anticyclonal zone, in which the 
beds of air are submitted to a continual descending current. From 
this point of view the atmospheric pressure observed, without clearly 
proving an anticyclonal zone, does not disprove the hypothesis. The 
barometric pressure was in fact much higher than at Cape Adare 
(71° south latitude) and at the station of the Gauss (66° south 
latitude) .2 
The decrease in pressure noted in going south, in the austral regions, 
does not persist indefinitely. The values calculated by Mr. Hann 
“Here are the figures, reduced to metric measurements : 
Winter. | Spring. |Summer.) Autumn.) Annual. 
Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. 
IDE COMMCIAY Sao SmonedSoucbCaaDOneeRAnAgUCooDogee datas 743.3 739.9 744.9 747.5 743.9 
CAMO PAC ANG ea eestor ctaparetese, 5) opaiepepcloiaieraeirne ain ceieeie 738.4 730.4 742.8 740. 6 738.0 
MGAUISS 5 rete mreis cfapnicayare Steele sis oe o'dlnn sci Howdandsoosusedus 739.1 734. 0 742, 2 741.3 739.1 
