SCIENTIFIC RECREATIONS. 



deserts, and experience has shown it to be very prejudicial to life in conse- 

 quence of the fine sand and the tremendous heat it carries with it. Egypt 

 is subject to another hot wind, called the Khamsin > and the west coast of 

 Africa is subject to the Harmattan, a dry, easterly wind. The cold, dry 

 wind of the Himalaya is known as the Tereno. In South America there is 

 the same wind, the Pampero blowing east and south-east. The Euroclydon, 

 mentioned by St. Paul, is the modern bora over the Adriatic. Malta rejoices 

 (or laments) in the Gregale, a north-east wind. There are several other 

 terms, such as the Puna of Peru, a very drying wind ; the Purgas in 

 Labrador, the Tourmente in France, and Guxen in Switzerland. Then we 

 have the Hurricane, from " Ouracan" of the Caribs ; the Ty phone, or Tae-fun 

 of China, so called from the dreaded god Typhon of Egypt ; and the 

 Tornado all very violent winds, and circling round, causing, so to speak, 

 whirlwinds, by which trees are uprooted, and houses destroyed. 



The measure of the velocity of wind is performed by anemometers, 

 which record the velocity in feet per second, and the amount of pressure. 

 The anemometer is a well-known apparatus, with its four arms terminating 

 in "cups" and a "tablet" anemometer, which is more or less disturbed or 

 deflected from the vertical line by each gust of wind, and thus the score of 

 degrees is marked by an indicator, which is moved as the tablet is deflected. 

 We annex a table of wind pressure and velocity 



PRESSURE OF THE WIND. 



The south-west wind is more constant than any other, and the west 

 wind in our islands is more frequent than the east ; tables have been com- 

 piled showing the average number of days upon which the winds blow from 

 different quarters, but need not be quoted. Storms can generally be antici- 



