394 
jects to Russell’s deduction that the southern 
sub-tropical anticyclones have a daily west-east 
movement of 460 nautical miles; this figure is 
thought to be much too high, and not confirmed 
by ships’ observations. It would appear more 
likely that the depressions travelled quickly, and 
determined the alternation of weather conditions 
on the south border of the sub-tropical anti- 
cyclones, the movements of which, according to the 
weather charts, are shown to be erratic and slow. 
The average paths followed by the depressions 
are, so far as possible, deduced from the daily 
charts and entered on unpublished charts. Un- 
fortunately, only general information on the results 
of this investigation is contained in the text to 
the atlas. The following are the principal con- 
clusions :-— 
“The average path of all central areas of de- 
pressions charted for the entire period, October, 
igor, to March, 1904, is found to have been in 
about the 52nd parallel. Between the meridians 
of 20° E.-and 150° E., that is to say, over the 
South Indian division of the Southern Ocean, it 
was between the 49th and 5oth parallels; and 
between 150° E. and 70° W., the South Pacific 
division, in about the 55th. . . During the 
summer months the 53rd was the average parallel 
along which the centres travelled eastward in the 
Indian division, and they followed a path between 
the 56th and 57th in that of the Pacific. During 
autumn and winter the paths were confined to 
zones between 48° S. and 409° S. in the South 
Indian division, and between 55° and 56° S. in 
the Pacific.’’ 
For the south-western Atlantic Ocean it is 
shown that the paths of the depressions eastward 
of 56° W. take the direction towards E., S.E., 
or N.E. In autumn and winter the paths in all 
parts of the Southern Ocean are more scattered 
than in spring and summer. But, in my opinion, 
these statements of the mean geographical latitude 
of the tracks require an essential limitation. It is 
plainly not a question of the paths of the centres 
of the depressions as there stated. Moreover, in 
the circumstances, the determination of these 
centres in the Southern Ocean was really not 
possible, as the range of the area of weather 
charts in the Indian and Pacific Ocean does not 
extend far enough to the south. In the Indian 
Ocean vessels rarely go beyond 50°, or in the | 
Pacific Ocean beyond 55° S. 
On the charts, so far as these latitudes, the 
isobars in low-pressure regions usually show no 
closed form; on the contrary, they are open to- 
wards the south, a sign that the centres of the 
depressions usually lie more southerly than those 
latitudes. In fact, it is already known from the 
observations of the South Polar expeditions that 
the zone of west winds has its southerly limit 
NO. 2301, VOL. 92] 
NATURE 
| easterly winds at the south polar stations. 
| cyclonic air-currents, which bring their warmth 
| and moisture with them from low latitudes. 
[DECEMBER 4, 1913 
beyond 60°, and consequently the mean paths of 
the depressions are also to be looked for in this — 
high latitude. The writer has determined this 
latitude as 63° S. for the meridian of the Gauss 
station (go° E.). South of Cape Horn, 62° S. 
may be assumed, while eastwards in the Weddell 
Sea the depressions draw still more to the south- 
ward. The latitudes above indicated, therefore, 
only refer to those northerly offshoots of the de- 
pressions which extend to the regions represented 
by synoptic charts, and which often have the 
character of secondary depressions. As a matter 
of fact, therefore, those figures furnish no answer 
to the important question as to where the depres- — 
sions of the southern temperate zone are to be 
looked for. On this point only the discussion of © 
the results of the synchronous South Polar 
Expeditions, in conjunction with the weather 
charts, can give information. 
In the text accompanying the charts the results 
of the expeditions are only referred to briefly. 
The author there restricts himself essentially to 
some general remarks on the character of the 
He 
rightly holds them to be of cyclonic origin, which 
agrees with the writer’s views in the discussion 
of the wind observations at the Gauss station — 
(1905), and subsequently stated in more detail. — 
And the warm, stormy, south-easterly winds at 
the Discovery station are also indicated as 
The 
occurrence of corresponding storm periods at the 
Kerguelen and Gauss station is shown in twelve 
cases, proving that a connection exists between — 
them, as had also been remarked by the writer. | 
The publication of hourly observations at both — 
stations in the German South Polar work allows — 
the comparison to be still more thoroughly and — 
forcibly demonstrated. ; 
In the discussion of the weather conditions of — 
the Weddell Sea, the important investigations of — 
Mossman and Mecking were certainly worthy of 
being mentioned. The explanatory text of the 
work now in question contains in the smallest— 
space only general facts about those conditions © 
which have long been known and fully established 
by the investigators named. 
In addition to the daily weather charts there 
are monthly charts of air-pressure and air-tem- 
perature for the period in question (October, 
1g01—March, 1904), and opposite to these are 
placed the normal charts for comparison. From 
these some general conclusions are drawn upon 
the deviations of the individual seasons and years, — 
but without detailed comparison; and a precise — 
account of the method on which these monthly 
