WIND. 297 



A. When air from the hot earth 

 reaches the sea, it is often condensed, and 

 either rushes back again, or else its 

 violence is very greatly abated. 



Q. Do CLOUDS affect the WIND ? 



A. Yes. As passing clouds screen 

 the direct heat of the sun from the earth, 

 they diminish the rarefication of the air 

 also : and this is another cause why 

 neither the strength nor direction of the 

 wind is uniform. 



Q. Would the winds blow regularly from east 

 to west, if these OBSTRUCTIONS were REMOVED ? 



A. Without doubt they would. If 

 the whole earth were covered with water, 

 the winds would always follow the sun, 

 and blow from east to west. Their 

 irregularity is owing to the interspersion 

 of sea and land, and the irregularities of 

 the earth's surface. 



Q. Do winds NEVER blow REGULARLY ? 



A. Yes ; in those parts of the world, 

 where these obstructions do not exist; 

 as on the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, 

 the winds are pretty uniform. 



