132 WAVES OF THE SEA 



the wind quite suddenly chopped round and blew 

 from the opposite direction, meeting the waves in 

 their advance. The ridges of the waves, as usual, 

 were not uniform, but had, on the contrary, an 

 undulating outline. The wind caught the higher 

 portions, and bit huge pieces out of them which 

 momentarily formed a milk-white cloud, which in 

 its turn was quickly dissipated in spray. 



On Wave -fronts in a Veering Wind, and on the 

 Irregularity of the Waves in the Region of 

 the Trade Winds 



Wind is never really steady. Not only is it 

 always more or less gusty, but it is always veer-* 

 ing i.e., changing its direction. Apart altogether 

 from the progressive variation in the general direc- 

 tion of the wind which is characteristic of a 

 cyclonic system, there is a rapid veering about a 

 mean position, even in the Trades. The amount 

 of this veering is sufficient to exercise an important 

 effect upon the character of the waves and the 

 appearance they present. 



It results in the formation of waves running 

 simultaneously in slightly different directions, and 

 thus, even in the regions of the Trade winds, the 

 open sea does not present a series of parallel ridges, 



