AN ESSAY ON SOUTHEKLY BURSTERS. 149 



recording as high a rate as forty miles per hour. Moreover the 

 rain generally ceases and a period of fine weather follows, proving 



RAINFALL FROM NORTHERLY WIND 



conclusively that, in these particular instances, at all events, the 

 rainfall which takes place on the arrival of the burster is the pre- 

 cipitation from the moist northerly current, and not from the 

 southerly one. Bursters have also been recorded when the local 

 maximum thermometer has registered little over 74° in a mid" 

 summer month, and effecting a diurnal range of only four degrees. 

 At such times the temperatures in the interior are always high, 

 especially to the north-west of New South Wales and in south- 

 west Queensland. 



BURSTERS DESIRABLE. 



Though the individuality of the burster is, in itself, opposed to 

 rainfall, yet the frequent recurrence of this phenomenon is a thing 

 to be desired. Its infrequency denotes a failure of activity in the 

 seasonal cyclonic and anti-oyclonic systems, and also in the cyclones 

 which come from the eastward on to the northern coast ; also in 

 the early part of the year it denotes the failure of the monsoonal 

 rains. 



DROUGHT COINCIDENT WITH THEIR ABSENCE. 



Instances of drought from such causes were especially marked 

 in the summer of 1875-76. In seasons when southerlies are rare 

 the loss of the interval of cool weather adds to the severity of the 

 summer. 



MONOTONOUS WEATHER. 



During such droughty periods as that just referred to, the 

 barometrical changes over the whole of Australia are very slight. 

 The temperatures, however, are not excessively high, at all events 

 on the coast, neither are the diurnal ranges great. Even locally, 

 and during the mid-summer months, the maximum shade temper- 

 ature has been known to range only between 80° and 86° for 

 twelve consecutive days, with persistent north-east winds. Experi- 

 ences of this nature are monotonous for the pastoralist and 

 agriculturalist, and equally so^for the meteorologist, presenting as 

 they do, no interesting features for observation, and no change of 



