48 



THE SERI INDIANS 



[ETH. ANN. 17 



The broad valley between Sierras Seri and Kunkaak, bottomed by El 

 lufiernillo, is especially beset by tierce and capricious gales; the gen- 

 eral atmospheric diift is disturbed by the leading- and lesser sierras, as 

 well as by temperature coiivectinu from the gulf, and eddies are devel- 

 oped in such wise as to send air-currents directly or obliijuely up or down 

 the valley. These local or sublocal winds are characteristic. Judg- 

 ing from observations covering several weeks, the valley is wind-swept 

 longitudinally for an average of eighteen or twenty hours daily, the 

 winds ranging from strong breezes to gales so stitt' as to load the air 

 with sand ashore and spray asea; and even the calms may be broken 



Flu, 



-Embarking; on Baliia Kunkaak in la lancha Anita. 



any minute by sudden gusts and wijliwaws, passing rapidly as they 

 arrive. Not only waves but wind itself combines with tides to shape the 

 structural features of the valley; nowhere within it do Hour-fine sands 

 like those of Desierto Encinas occur, save as a hardly perceptible con- 

 stituent of the dunes and banks of coarser sand — they have been blown 

 into the sea or beyond the limits of tlie valley. Throughout the strait 

 so expressively named by its explorers, the capriciousness of the sea 

 culminates, despite the shoalness and the protection from easterly and 

 westerly winds; the storm currents and tide-currents are half the time 

 opposed, raising breakers even when the air is nearly still; eddies and 

 whiils and cross-currents arise con>tantly, and even at the stillest 



