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latitude these gyrations cease to be felt S. and N., — and also, how the winds 

 from the various quarters displace each other. On these various points I have 

 but a limited amount of facts to adduce from my own observation, but though 

 the quota is small it may call attention to these interesting points, and accumu- 

 late by eliciting the experience of others. 



The period of complete gyration seems to be, as nearly as possible, seven 

 days. In Victoria, the hot winds generally keep the same days of the week 

 for months together, as also do the wet days in winter, both of which are 

 coincident with — one the jST., the other the W. wind. In New Zealand, these 

 gyrations are more irregular than in Victoria, arising, no doubt, from the 

 more irregular form of the land, and its giT,ater elevation causing greater 

 disturbance to the normal winds. Still, these rotations are well marked and 

 tolerably regular throughout the entire length of the country. In Victoria, 

 the wind rotates through the several quarters in nearly equal times, with 

 perhaps a little skip through N.W. ; in New Zealand, it often lingers in one 

 quarter for a longer period, sometimes for an entire rotation, or even several. 

 When it does so, however, the period is generally marked by a calm of longer 

 or shorter duration ; often for only a few hours, when the wind begins to blow 

 with renewed vigour from the old quarter for another seven days. This, 

 however, is seldom the case • in general, the wind rotates very regularly. In 

 Southland, it is fond of lingering in the S. beyond its due time, and then 

 backing through W. to IST.W., where it would have been had it gone regularly 

 round ; when it does so, it blows with great violence, from JST.W. for some 

 time, often for two days, then passes in a stormy mood through W. to its home 

 in the S. In bad weather, it thus oscillates through an arc from S.W. to 

 N.W., each succeeding oscillation being more stormy, and the arc more 

 contracted. In the north of the island, this is reversed, where the N. W. is the 

 prevailing wind, and the N.E. gales the severest. 



In the middle of the islands, the cycle is more equal sided, so that it would 

 appear that between latitude 38° and 41° is about the middle of this zone of 

 gyrating winds in New Zealand. By careful observation, the period, though 

 more obscured by local and other disturbances than in Australia, can be made 

 out, and appeal's to be about seven days throughout, so that it appears to be 

 independent of latitude. The seasons disturb the regular course of the wind 

 greatly. In spring, the wind holds longer in the N., and in late autumn, longer 

 in the S., than during summer and winter, when it is generally more regular. 

 During spring and autumn, it is often difficult to make out the complete 

 revolution, but it is observable that when a well-marked crisis occurs, it is 

 generally at the time when it would have been had the wind made its regular 

 rounds, though a long period of disturbance may have intervened. This would 

 argue that the true period is also independent of season, though these may 

 obscure it for a considerable time. 



