THE WIKDS OF THE SOUTHERN HE3IISPHERE. 425 



to blow towards tlie poles as well as towards the equator ; but, after 

 a little explanation, and the passing in re\'iew of a few facts and 

 circumstances, perhaps the paradox may disappear. It is held as 

 an established fact by meteorologists that the average amount of 

 precipitation is greater in the northern than in the southern hemi- 

 sphere ; but this, I imagine, applies rather to the land than the 

 sea. On the polar side of 40^ it is mostly water in the southern, 

 mostly land in the northern hemisphere. It is only now and then, 

 and on rare occasions, that ships carry rain-gauges to sea. We can 

 determine by quantitive measurements the difference in amount of 

 precipitation on the land of the two hemispheres, and it is the 

 result of this determination, I imagine, that has given rise to the 

 general remark that the rain-fall is greater for the northern than it 

 is for the southern hemisphere. But we have few hyetographic 

 measm'ements for quantity at sea ; there the determinations are 

 mostly numerical. Our observers report the " times " of precipita- 

 tion, which, whether it be in the form of rain, hail, or snow, is 

 called by the charts, and in this discussion, rain. Among such a 

 large corps of observers, rain is sometimes, no doubt, omitted in the 

 log ; so that, in all probability, the charts do not show as many 

 " times " with rain as there are " times " actually with rain at sea. 

 This omission, however, is as likely to occur in one hemisphere as 

 in the other. Still, we may safely assume that it rains oftener in. 

 all parts of the sea than our observations, or the rain charts that are 

 founded on them, indicate. 



826. With the view of comparing the rains at sea between the 

 Relative frequency of parallels of 55° and 60°, both in the North and 

 rains and gales at sea. gouth Atlantic, we have taken from the charts the 

 following figures : 



South Atlantic— Observations, 8410 ; gales, 1228 

 North Atlantic— „ 526 ; „ 135 



Gales to the 1000 observations . . S. Atlantic, 146 



rains, 1105 

 64 



N. Atlantic, 256 



Kains, „ „ . . S.Atlantic, 131 ; N. Atlantic, 121 



That 'is, for every 10 gales, there are in the southern hemisphere 

 9 rains, and in the northern 4.7. In which hemisphere does most 

 water fall on the average during a rain at sea ? Observations do- 

 not tell, but there seems to be a philosopliical reason why it should 

 rain not only oftener, but more copiously at sea, especially in the 

 extra-tropical regions, in the southern hemisphere than in those of 

 the northern. Ou the polar side of 40° N., for example, the land_ 



