159 



north wind, force ^^, and for six days afterwards the wind was 

 westerly at Cape Point, so that we cannot but conclude that it 

 is highly probably the course of the bottle round the Cape 

 Peninsula is to be attributed to a cmrent passing- round that 

 point from the east, against the wind. 



The course of this bottle is of further interest in connection 

 with a series of temperatures taken oft' the Cape Peninsula, 

 where an unexpectedly high surface temperature ((i9°9) was 

 found, being higher than any of the daily observations In 

 False Bay or Table Bay during the three years 1898-1900. 

 This was supposed to indicate the presence of the warm Agul- 

 has current in the region as a surface current, and the course 

 of this bottle gives additional evidence in favour of this inter- 

 pretation. 



At the region immediately oft' Cape Agulhas there seems to 

 be a less definite set of the course of the drift bottles than any- 

 where else. As we pz'oceed eastwards, however, there is a 

 decided tendency towards the east oft Cape Infanta and Cape 

 Yacca, and this tendency is apparent along the whole of the 

 remainder of the south coast up to Cape Recife, being speci- 

 ally marked in the case of bottles which travel long distances. 



The course of Nos. 316 and 318 are peculiar. They were 

 put into the sea at places only about eight miles apart, and at 

 an interval of one hour and twenty minutes, and yet, ap- 

 parently, took quite opposite directions, the one being found at 

 Jiredasdorp, west of Cape Agulhas, and the other at Plettenberg 

 Bay. 



The inset into Mo.ssel Bay and Plettenberg Bay is to be 

 noted here, and may be compared with the inset into False 

 Bay and Table Bay. Nos. 374 and 375 were put over at the 

 same time oft Cape Infanta, and were found at Mossel Bay, one 

 mile apart. 



Any negative evidence afforded by drift bottles put away 

 and not returned is perhaps of doubtful value, but the follow- 

 ing short statement of the total numbers set adrift is appended 

 as a record, which may prove of utility in further work: — • 



SUMMARY OF BOTTLES SKT ADRIFT. 



1. —From the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company's 

 steamers on voyag-es between Cape Town and Natal, 

 from 22nd December, 1900, to 25th May, 1901. 



These bottles were supplied in sets of 28, two bottles being 

 put over in the vicinity of each of the following localities : 

 (1) Mouille Point ; (2) Hout Bay ; (3) Cape Point ; (4) Cape 

 Hangklip ; (5) Danger Point ; (6) Cape Agulhas ; (7) Cape 



