RAINFALL AND MOISTURE. 79 
over the islands of Vestrealen towards the east. That of 
75 mm. passes over Tromso and South Varanger. . 
The annual variations of the aqueous vapour tension 
accords well with those of the temperature of the air, 
and especially with those of the sea. At all the stations 
the greatest quantity of vapour is found in August, and 
the least in winter. P 
The most considerable variation of aqueous tension 
manifests itself on the Christiania fiord, on the eastern 
part of the country, and on the Drontheim fiord, where it 
amounts tc 7mm. The least variation is seen along the 
west coast where, from the Jederan to Vadso, it keeps 
itself within 5 and 5°5 mm.; on the coasts of the Rems- 
dal it is still less. In this respect the contrast between 
the continental climate and that of the coast manifests 
itself in the same way as the annual variation seen in the 
atmospheric temperature. On the high mountains of the 
Dovrefjeld both the quantities and the variations are less 
than they would be at the level of the sea. 
The diurnal variation on the west coast is conformed to 
that of the temperature. At Christiania, on the contrary, 
the maximum tension is in the evening, which is especially 
remarkable in summer, when the diurnal variation is 
greatest, 
Thé mean relative humidity of the year is greatest at 
Vardo, 85 per cent., and also on the coast from Mandel to 
Skudesnes, being more than 80 per cent. Itis a little less at 
Tromso, Christiansand, Alesund, and Bergen, 78 to 79 per 
cent., and it falls to 72 per cent. at Christiania. Asa 
general rule, there the relative humidity is greater on the 
coast than in the interior of the country. It seems to be 
the same in Sweden, the coast of which, on the Balltic, 
shows a humidity very great compared with that of 
Norway. 
In winter it is the west coast of Norway, from Cape 
Stat to the North Cape, which shows relatively least 
humidity, while this goes on augmenting steadily towards 
