THE NEW YEAR WIND 315 



they are severe upon trees. Wherever the west wind blows 

 off the sea and shakes its moisture down month after month, 

 there grass flourishes if there is any kindliness at all in 

 the soil. So it is due to the west wind that the milk 

 supply of London is controlled by the Welsh, and that the 

 social regeneration of Ireland has been promoted more by 

 the multitude of creameries that have sprung up than by 

 any other influence less closely allied with the native clime. 

 The student of weather could indeed infer a priori from the 

 incidence of the wind a quantity of the social conditions, 

 almost as certainly as the geologist from a knowledge of 

 the strata and seams. The whole of eastern England lies 

 behind such a wind-screen as the nurserymen or afforesters 

 design ; for the westward is high and rugged, the east a 

 plain or gentle valley inclining into the shallow sea and 

 re-emerging in Holland. But the screen is most notably 

 effective in robbing the eastern clouds of rain ; and on the 

 whole giving England as good a proportion of rain as any 

 country could desire. 



From December the months begin to grow drier, and the 

 west wind gives place to the rival winds, that mark the 

 depths of winter cold as well as the steady sunshine of 

 spring. In a discussion on the effect of wet, a most in- 

 genious case was made out by Mr. Cornish, who had a very 

 wide knowledge of natural history, in favour of the drier 

 regions against the wetter. He argued that wet is bad for 

 all animals, indeed that it is the worst of all their enemies. 

 It lames the sheep, it kills even young ducks, it drowns 

 partridges, it depreciates vitality in every young thing. 

 There are exceptions that he did not name. Some vermin 

 flourish best when rain is heaviest ; but in general, if we 

 were to make a census of the wild animals of England, we 

 should find that the dry eastern half of England vastly 



