280 PEOPBSSOE G. E. POST^ M.D. 



As long as the wind blows steadily from the west or south- 

 west, there is usually no rain. But when it blows for a day 

 or two from the east, south, or south-south-west, and then 

 veers suddenly to the west or south-west, rain is very apt to 

 fall. This appears again from the tables. In the month of 

 January, 1885, there were thirteen days of south-east, one of 

 east, and one of south wind. The large amount of 10'37 inches 

 of rain was a natural result. Again in January, 1884, there 

 were fifteen days of south-east wind, and 10"64 inches of rain. 

 In January, 1883, there were five days of south-east, three of 

 east, and four of south wind, with a rainfall of 12'73 inches. 

 November of the same year gave, with nine days of south-east 

 wind, and nine days of north-east, 15*30 inches of rain; and 

 so on through the tables. Furthermore, a glance down the 

 columns, and still better at the graphic chart, will show 

 uniformly, that during the summer months, when there is 

 little or no rain, there is little or no wind from the south, or 

 east, or south-east. It might be inferred from these figures 

 that the south, south-east, and east winds bring the rain. 

 The Jews, in our Saviour's time, said, when they saw the 

 south wind blow, " There will be heat.'" This is still true, 

 and equally so of south-east and east winds, as they all blow 

 over vast heated plains. In their course they lick up the 

 moisture from the surface of the ground, and on reaching the 

 sea, become loaded with vapour. After these winds have 

 blown from one to five or six days, the direction of the gale 

 usually changes suddenly to the south-west, and in a few 

 hours a storm of rain follows. This is well understood by the 

 residents of the country, native as well as foreign. 



The wind which prevails while rain is actually falling is 

 almost always between south-west-by-west and south-west- by- 

 south. In exceptional cases, however, it may shower with 

 an easterly wind, and very rarely with a northerly one. 

 Job xxxvii. 22, although a mistranslation as respects the word 

 fair weather, expresses a scientific fact. Fair weather does 

 come out of the north. Often after a storm from the west do 

 We see the wind from the north come down like a giant over 

 the sea, smite the south-west wind in full career, beat it back, 

 with its gloomy retinue of clouds, and, perhaps in a single 

 hour, clear the sky, and let in a flood of brilliant sunshine 

 over sea and land. This wind is cooled and robbed of its 

 moisture during its passage over the successive snow-clad 

 ranges of Asia Minor. 



It will be seen that the annual average of rain for eleven 

 years and a half at Beirut is 35'66 inches. It is remarkable 

 that in nine and a half of those years the amount of the rain- 



