THE PHYSIOGRAPHY OF LABRADOR 71 
day’s rain is exceptional. A land surveyor who, with a 
party, spent four months on the Grand River and not far 
from the very centre of the country, experienced only 
one-half day during which rain prevented his party from 
working. On the other hand, the amount of sunshine is 
well up to the average. One might say that in summer 
one day in three is altogether sunny; one day in three is 
partly sunny; one day in three, dull. As these deductions 
are not the result of accurate, scientific records, I can only 
offer them as the results of my own general notes from year 
to year. They appear, however, to agree with those of 
observers who have more accurately chronicled the amount 
of sunshine during their visits to Labrador. 
The summer temperature of both air and water varies 
greatly as one leaves the coast and goes up the bays. This 
remarkable feature of the coast is due to the combination 
of two influences — that of the southerly latitude within 
which Labrador lies, and that of the polar current which 
sweeps right home to its Atlantic shore. When one con- 
siders that the southern point of Labrador is on the same 
parallel of latitude as London, and its most northern point 
only the same as the north of Scotland, one can understand 
how in summer the sun’s rays are very effective in warm- 
ing the atmosphere in localities untouched by the polar 
current. The summer temperature of the outside water 
averages, at the surface, from 40° to 45° F., while ten 
fathoms down it sinks to nearly 35° F., and at thirty 
fathoms is from 30° to 35° F. When, however, one gets 
near the head of a bay, say twenty miles in from the coast, 
the temperature at the surface may be as high as 50° F. 
and at the heads of the big bays, especially above Rigolet 
