424 THE INDIAN MONSOONS. 



snow than at ordinary times because we know that 

 under the torrid rays of a vertical sun the waters of 

 the Indian Ocean must always be evaporating, and 

 that the set of the prevailing winds for by far the 

 greater part of the year is towards the northward 

 consequently, though not a drop of rain may fall 

 upon the Indian plains, the water which should in the 

 ordinary course of events have been deposited there 

 by the S.W. Monsoon (which generally lasts from 

 April to October in Hindustan), must be carried else- 

 where before it is finally condensed. Now we know, 

 as a matter of ascertained fact, that the snow line 

 upon the southern slopes of the Himalayas comes 

 down immensely lower than it does upon their northern 

 face, indeed the differences of levels have sometimes been 

 estimated at as much as 4000 feet; consequently, the 

 vastly greater part of the atmospheric vapour is condensed 

 before it crosses that great divide: consequently it 

 would seem to follow that when the monsoonal rains 

 fail upon the plains, they should be mostly deposited 

 in that locality, plus the ordinary amount of rainfall 

 usually descending there. The normal amount of 

 rainfall in many places is however always very great; 

 the average rainfall at Darjeeling for instance, amounts 

 to 119.28 inches per annum.* 



It may be however that the currents of water-laden 

 air may be occasionally deflected into adjoining regions 

 --or it may possibly be that at certain times they 

 are carried over the crest of the Himalayas, before 

 their vapour condenses; in that case of course, we 

 should expect to find very exceptionally heavy snow 

 falls on the great table lands of Thibet, or on the 



* Encyd, Brit, gth Edition, Vol. xii, p. 739. 



