CHAPTER XVII 



THE CLIMATE AND PEEYALENT WINDS 



Feom its position in mid-ocean, and 12° 9' south of tlie 

 Equator, the group derives all its peculiarities of climate. It 

 lies to the south of the monsoon area, that is to say, the 

 South-East Trade wind is not normally reflected on its course for 

 any constant part of the year ; for though winds other than the 

 South-East Trades do reach the islands, there is no season of 

 the year in which a reversed wind constantly prevails. The 

 slackening of the Trades, from north to south, reaches the 

 group in the early months of the year, and then " doldrum " 

 calms and uncertain winds are the prevailing type of weather ; 

 but it is quite incorrect to speak of the " change of the mon- 

 soon " in the Cocos-Keeling group, although the phrase is by 

 no means infrequently used. 



As it is south of the monsoon area, and therefore has no 

 monsoon seasons, so it is too far north — too near the 

 Equator — to be subject to obvious hot and cold seasons ; there 

 is a period of the year normally more dry and hotter than the 

 rem.aining months, but the mid- oceanic position of the group 

 deprives even these seasonal variations of any really obvious 

 effect, the variation being, when averaged, but very slight in 

 amount. 



All the data for these meteorological records have been 

 taken with the Telegraph Company's instruments, and those 

 used here cover a period from Dec. 1901 to Dec. 1905, 

 They may be relied on both as regards the accuracy of the 

 instruments and of the observers. 



It must be remembered, in estimating the amount of 

 seasonal variation to which the group is subjected, that all 

 the observations have been taken on Pulu Tikus, which is a 



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