266 THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE WINDS. 



Belt of Southeast broader than Northeast, ^ 764. — Tracks of Vessels across the South- 

 east Trades, 767. — Scenes in the Trade-wind Regions, 770. — The Effect of South 

 Africa and America upon the Winds, 779. — Monsoons, 787. — Dove's Theory, 789. 

 — Proof that the Southwest Monsoons are the Southeast Trades deflected, 797. — 

 How the Southwest Monsoons march toward the Equator, 806. — How the Monsoon 

 Season may be known, 809. — Influence of Deserts upon the Winds, 810. — Chang- 

 ing of the Monsoons, 819. — West Monsoon in Java Sea, 823. — Water-spouts, 826. 

 —Influence of Currents upon Winds, 829.— The Calm Belts, 835.— The Equatorial 

 Calms, 837.— The Horse Latitudes, 840.— The Westerly Winds, 843.— The brave 

 West Winds of the Southern Hemisphere, 846. 



762. Plate VIII. is a chart of the wmds, based on information 

 derived from the Pilot Charts, one of the series of ]\Iaury's Wind 

 and Current Charts. The object of this chart is to make the stu- 

 dent acquainted with the prevailing direction of the wind in every 

 part of the ocean. 



The arrows of the plate are supposed to fly with the wind ; the 

 half bearded and half feathered arrows denoting monsoons or pe- 

 riodic winds ; the dotted bands, the regions of calm and baffling 

 winds. 



763. Monsoons, properly speaking, are winds which blow one 

 half of the year from one direction, and the other half from an op- 

 posite, or nearly an opposite direction. 



Let us commence the study of Plate VIII. by examining the 

 trade-wind region ; that, also, is the region in which monsoons are 

 most apt to be found. 



764. The belt or zone of the southeast trade-winds is broader, 

 it will be observed, than the belt or zone of northeast trades. 

 This phenomenon is explained by the fact that there is more land 

 in the northern hemisphere, and that most of the deserts of the 

 earth — as the great deserts of Asia and Africa — are situated in the 

 rear, or behind the northeast trades ; so that, as these deserts be- 



