740 WINDS OF THE GL0 13E. 



monsoon in India — they bring dry and clear weather. This is easily explained by 

 tiieir origin and direction: in Mesopotamia they come over the land, in Syria from 

 a colder part of the sea. 



In all these stations there is a greater number of N., N. E., and E. winds in winter 

 than in summer, Jerusalem alone excepted. In this the influence of the high pres- 

 sure of the more northerly parts of Asia is clearly seen, and is also shown by Plate 

 14:. Yet it seems that the higher pressure prevailing over northern Africa in 

 that season, and generally about 30° N., has also an influence on the winds: the 

 S. W. in Jerusalem and Beirut, and the W. at Bagdad have probably this origin. 

 Generally the winds are not as constant in winter as they are in summer. 



On the Caspian local monsoons prevail. Ashur-Ade, an island in the S. E. 

 corner of the sea, has E. winds in winter and AV. in summer. Lenkoran, on the 

 western shore, has prevailing S. E. in summer and N. W. in winter. 



At Aralikh at the foot of the Ararat, the prevailing winds are S. E. in winter, 

 that is, from the interior of the continent, and W. in summer. 



On the eastern shore of the Black Sea, we see again very strongly marked mon- 

 soon winds, from the land (E ) in winter, from the sea (S. W., W.) in summer. The 

 winds here are nearly opposite to those of Lenkoran. It will be noticed that the 

 monsoon character is more marked on the eastern shore of the Black Sea ; the 

 reason is, that here the local monsoons correspond to the general movement of the 

 air over this part of Asia, while at Lenkoran they are nearly opposite to it. (See 

 Plates 5 and 6.) The winds of Tiflis are too much influenced by the locality to 

 show the general flow of air over the region. 



Trebizonde has prevailing E. and N. W. winds in winter and summer. The 

 country around is very mountainous, and nearly all winds come from one of these 

 two directions. It is very difficult to reach a conclusion on the character of the 

 winds when they are so much influenced by locality.' 



It seems that the winds at Erzeroom are also much influenced by locality, as it 

 is situated in a rugged mountainous country. It may be that at this elevation, 

 above 6000 feet, the winds are not the same as in the lowlands. E. and N. E. are 

 l)re vailing here the whole year. I must remark that at all continental stations of 

 western Asia, north, east, and south of Erzeroom the winds are either W. or N. W. 

 in summer (Tiflis, Aralikh, Ooroomiah, Mt. Seir, Bagdad, Mosul, Aleppo). (See 

 Plate 5.) This is with the exception of Alexandropol, which is also a high station 

 (4800 feet) on the plateau of Armenia. At Constantinople the local position is such 

 as to allow scarcely any other wind than N. E. and S. W.; the N. E. are dominant. 

 But it would be rash to conclude that this is the trade-wind. We have seen that 

 to the N. W. of the Black Sea there is a region of prevailing N. W. winds. The 

 country is so walled in by mountains, especially south of the Black Sea, in Asia 

 Minor, that the air must escape through the narrow aperture of the Bosphorus ; 

 thence the N. E. winds at Constantinople. 



Some meteorologists think that the " trades " are dominant in Western Asia, 

 reaching as far as Constantinople. This idea is founded on the observations at Erze- 



' See the remarks of the observer at Erzeroom, Rev. N. Benjamiu, iu the tables, p. 311. 



