740 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



always, except of course during the short rain storms, 

 marvelously clear and brilliant. We observed at no time 

 that hazy, yellow dust which is so common in inland 

 countries generally where summer rains are absent. Even 

 from the lower levels, whenever the ocean could be seen, 

 the horizon always presented itself as a sharp, well-defined 

 line, and one of the most beautiful sights is the advent of 

 a distant rain storm with thunder clouds, rising above the 

 horizon. Even the most distant clouds are then seen as 

 .sharply as the nearest ones, the whole offering a most 

 beautiful perspective panorama. This is also the charac- 

 ter of the whole Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central 

 America. 



In the various sierras of the Cape Region this clearness 

 and brilliancy of the air is increased, and we could not 

 help but think that if ever a very superior place for an 

 observatory is desired, the sierra of the Cape Region, 

 especially that of El Taste, is pre-eminently one that I 

 think cannot be surpassed in any part of the world. The 

 cause is, as I have said, the nearness of the ocean, which 

 on almost every side surrounds this mountainous country. 

 This prevents the dust from distant plains from reaching 

 here, while high temperature prevents condensation of 

 the moisture in the shape of fogs. Fogs are entirely un- 

 known in the Cape Region. 



SANITARY CONDITIONS. 



The Cape Region of Baja California is one of the very 

 few places where the various conditions of temperature, 

 moisture and other climatic conditions are almost perfect. 

 The humidity of the air is never great, and still never 

 so low as to become irritating to the lungs. The long 

 distance to the mainland, and the directions of the pre- 

 vailing winds are such that the dust and smoke which 

 they might carry along are precipitated long before they 



