242 THE ASIATIC FDR-SEAL ISLANDS. 



quite warm, the sun in that latitude — 45° north — having, of course, considerable power. The nights, 

 however, were very cold, although it was seldom the thermometer fell to zero Fahrenheit. 



The following is a rough summary and average of the weather for each month of the year, 

 gathered from log-books and notes extending over a period of fifteen years. 



Spring months. — March. — Sixteen days of west and northwest winds, seven southeast, five east, 

 and three variable. Snow or rain falls on ten days, and two days are foggy. 



April. — Westerly and northwesterly winds prevail during the first half. During the last half 

 the winds are very variable, with frequent gales. Snow or rain falls on twelve days of this month. 



Mu,y. — May has an average of fourteen foggy days, with eight days on which snow or rain falls. 

 The winds are very variable, but southerly and easterly predominate. Gales are frequent. 



Summer months. — June. — Winds very variable, mostly from southeast to southwest. Rain falls 

 on six days, and there are sixteen foggy days. Fog and rain often occur together. Sometimes it is 

 difficult to distinguish between a wet fog and a fine drizzling rain. I have experienced a sharp frost 

 on the 6th of June at Rashau Island, in latitude 47° 44', and a fall of snow soiuetimes occurs in this 

 month. 



July.— This is the foggiest month of the year, with an average of twenty-six days thick weather 

 and six days rain. Light, variable airs and calms during the greater part of this month. 



August. — It is foggy on twenty days and rainy on six days of this month. Calms and light 

 variable winds prevail. 



Autumn months. — September. — Rain falls on ten days of this month, and there is more or less 

 fog on twelve days ; but taken on the whole the weather is mostly fine and pleasant, westerly winds 

 prevailing. 



October. — The winds this month are chiefly from the west-southwest, west, and northwest. There 

 are six rainy days, and little or no fog. It is seldom calm. As a rule the weather is bright, clear, and 

 bracing, with fresh breezes and occasional strong gales. 



November. — The prevailing winds are westerly and northwesterly. The weather is mostly fine, 

 with fresh breezes during the first part; later it becomes more boisterous, and considerable snow falls. 



Winter months. — December. — This month shows twenty days of northwesterly winds, three 

 southerly, and the rest calms and variable. Snow falls on twelve days and rain on two. 



January. — Fifteen days of northwesterly winds, three north, four northeast, and nine variable or 

 calm. Snow on six days and rain one. 



February. — There are twenty-two days of northwesterly winds, two northeast, two north, and 

 two southeast during this month. Snow falls on sixteen days. 



Gales. — Heavy gales are liable to occur at any time of the year, and I doubt if ever any one 

 partioilar month passes without one or more violent storms of wind. The majority of the gales 

 experienced in these latitudes finished up at northwest. Of fifty-eight heavy gales occurring 

 between the middle of April and the middle of October over several years, I find thirty-five finished 

 at northwest, eight at southwest, three at west-southwest, three at east, and the rest at other points 

 of the compass. The greatest number took place in May, and the least in June. In nearly all the 

 storms which finished at northwest the wind veered against the sun from the southeast. When a gale 

 commenced at southeast, or from any point east of it, it would, as a, rule, haul to the east, then 

 northeast to north and northwest, where it would blow itself out. With gales commencing at south, 

 the wind, after backing perhaps to nearly east, would generally veer with the sun through south and 

 southwest, and finish between southwest and west-northwest. 



Some of the storms which occur during the summer and autumn in the vicinity of the 

 southwestern Kurils have the characteristics of typhoons, in fact are typhoons which have traveled 

 up the Japan coast, their area being, no doubt, much enlarged and their force somewhat spent. 



During a heavy gale the wind blows strongest off the land. The islands being high and narrow, 

 the wind becomes banked up, as it were, and pours over the mountains and down the gullies with 

 hurricane force, picking up the water in sheets and whirling it into woolies, which are blown out to 

 sea with terrific velocity. 



Great care is necessary when running in under the high land of these islands during a gale. 

 With a sailing vessel, in a moderate breeze, it is advisable to pass to windward of an island in order 

 to keep the wind; but unfortunately the windward side is always the foggy side. The high 

 mountains cause the winds to be very baffling in the various straits, particularly the smaller ones. 



The barometer is of great service in these latitudes, and never fails to give warning of an 



