TORNADOES. 163 



"Stream, which sweeps from equatorial regions into the 

 Gulf of Mexico, and thence across the Atlantic to 

 the shores of Western Europe. In the South Indian 

 Ocean there is the ' south equatorial current,' which 

 sweeps past Mauritius and Bourbon, and thence 

 returns towards the east. In the Chinese Sea there 

 is the north equatorial current, which sweeps round 

 the East Indian Archipelago, and then merges into 

 the Japanese current. There is also the current in 

 the Bay of Bengal, flowing through the region in 

 which, as we have seen, cyclones are commonly met 

 with. There are other sea-currents besides these 

 which yet breed no cyclones. But I may notice two 

 peculiarities in the currents I have named. They all 

 flow from equatorial to temperate regions, and, 

 secondly, they are all ' horse-shoe currents.' So far as 

 I am aware, there is but one other current which pre- 

 sents both these peculiarities namely, the great 

 Australian current between New Zealand and the 

 eastern shores of Australia. I have not yet met with 

 any record of cyclones occurring over the Australian 

 current, but heavy storms are known to prevail in that 

 region, and I believe that when these storms have 

 been studied as closely as the storms in better-known 

 regions, they will be found to present the true cyclonic 

 character. 



Now, if we inquire why an ocean current travelling 

 from the equator should be a ' storm-breeder,' we shall 

 find a ready answer. Such a current, carrying the 

 warmth of intertropical regions to the temperate zones, 



