OCEAN TEMPER ATUEES. 175 



the temperature, as is strikingly illustrated in the chart for the Tortugas during March, 1881, and 

 November and December, 1882. The same conditions of temperature prevailed to some extent at 

 Carysfort Eeef and Fowey Eocks during the same periods, but northwesterly winds were far less 

 prevalent at those stations during 1881 and 1882 than at the Tortugas. This subject is further 

 discussed in the explanations of the charts for the three Florida stations. 



Passing northward from the Florida Eeefs, the prevailing winds gradually change from liorth 

 easterly and southeasterly to northwesterly and southwesterly. From Martin's Industry Shoal, 

 South Carolina, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, northeasterly winds generally prevailed during 

 January, February, April, May, August, September, October, November, and December ; and 

 southwesterly winds during March, June, and July. A few slight exceptions to this rule are pre- 

 sented by some of these stations, and the wind records for two or even three quadrants are some- 

 times nearly alike during the same month. Northwesterly winds are no more common than at the 

 Florida Eeefs. 



Body's Island, i<orth Carolina, and Winter Quarter Shoal, Virginia, occupy an intermediate 

 position between the southern and northern stations with respect to the winds as well as geo- 

 graphically. Northeasterly winds are less prevalent and northwesterly winds more common, espe- 

 cially during the -colder months. At Five-Fathom Bank, New Jersey, northeasterly winds prevailed 

 only during October, but they also furnished a relatively high record during May, August, and 

 September. The prevailing winds at that station for January, February, March, April, November, 

 and December were northwesterly ; for May, June, July, August, and September, southwesterly. 

 At Absecon Inlet, New Jersey, northeasterly and southeasterly winds prevailed from April tc 

 October, inclusive, and northwesterly winds during the other months. North of this station, 

 northeasterly winds rarely prevailed during any month, but northeasterly and southeasterly winds 

 are of much more frequent occurrence at th» northern stations than are northwesterly and south- 

 westerly winds at the extreme southern ones. Northwesterly winds generally prevailed from 

 November to April, and southwesterly from April to November, but there are numerous excep- 

 tions to this rule, and at some of the stations southwesterly winds continued to be the prevalent 

 ones through November and December. At Boon Island and Petit Manan, in the Gulf of Maine, 

 southeasterly winds predominated during most of the summer months, and the record of winds 

 from the northeast quadrant is very high at Boon Island, as also at some of the other stations on 

 the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine. 



