200 Natwnal Geographic Magazine. 
of the great hurricane regions of the globe, and the seasons 
when these dreaded tropic cyclones prevail in each of these re- 
gions. The evidence on this subject is cumulative and practi- 
cally conclusive, so that it is universally known and recognized 
that the hurricane months are the summer months in each hem- 
isphere ; hurricanes originate in the tropics, move westward, then 
poleward into the temperate zones, and finally eastward in higher 
latitudes, receding gradually from the equator ; moreover, the 
essential difference between hurricanes north and south of the 
line is as follows: In the Northern Hemisphere the rotation of 
the cyclonic whirl is against the hands of a watch, and in the 
Southern, with. The noted hurricane regions are the West Indies, 
coast of China and Japan, Bay of Bengal (especially in May and 
October, at the time of the change of the monsoons), and the 
South Indian Ocean (about Mauritius). Less noted regions are 
the South Pacific (East of Australia), the North Pacific (west of 
the Mexican coast), and the Arabian Sea. In planning a dis- 
tant voyage a navigator should therefore consider the hurricane 
regions through which he must pass, just as he considers the pre- 
vailing winds—the trades, monsoons, and ocean currents. 
The handling of a ship in a hurricane is a very different sort 
of a thing from this general survey of the entire field, and, with- 
out the eminently practical qualities that we all associate with a 
good officer of the navy or mercantile marine, no mere theoretic 
knowledge can avail much. And yet this is one of those cases 
where practice and theory should go hand in hand,—not theory 
as something vague and unreal, but theory as based upon a firm 
foundation of observed facts. If a vessel encounter a hurricane, 
certain conclusions can be drawn from observations of the shifts 
of wind, the fluctuations of the barometer, the appearance of the 
clouds, and the direction of the ocean swell; the master of that 
vessel will undoubtedly draw such conclusions, and store them 
away in his mind as part of his fund of experience upon which 
to base action at some future time. But if he can consider his 
own observations, while fresh in mind, in connection with the ob- 
servations made on board many other vessels that encountered 
the same storm, and modify or verify his conclusions by such 
comparison, there cannot be a doubt but that the lesson will be 
of far greater value. Sailors lead’a rough life, and their train- 
ing is often acquired by experience alone. Moreover, there are 
certain things that tend to discourage effort on the part of junior 
