WINDS. 



377 



air flows back from the northeast to supply the areas, which in their 

 turn become heated, forming the Northeast Monsoon. 



The Northeast and Southwest Monsoons extend from the east coast 

 of Africa over the China Seas, and as far as the Marianne Islands in 

 the Pacific. The former has more strength than the latter. In the 

 northern parts of the China Seas, the Southwest Monsoon is but feeble. 

 There the cold and denser currents from the northeast seek the rare- 

 fied areas with more force. They prevail generally three-fourths of 

 the year. 



In the Gulf of Bengal, Arabian Sea, as well as the Bight of China, 

 the Monsoons are not so regular as they are in the open sea. They 

 are often light and changeable, and frequently calms prevail. This is 

 particularly the case within the Straits of Malacca, where variable 

 winds are almost constantly found. 



The Northeast Monsoon is confined to the north of the Equator. 

 It has many interruptions to its course from the high islands which 

 lie within its range, and create many disturbing causes, diverting it 

 from its direction, being at times influenced by the heated areas 

 which prevail on the large islands. 



Between the Equator and the eleventh parallel of south latitude, 

 there are two other Monsoons, known as the Northwest and Southeast. 

 These are coincident in point of time with the former, undergoing 

 their changes about the same time of the year. They blow nearly at 

 right angles to the direction of the first, but are divided by calms ; 

 though one appears to be derived from the other, that is to say, 

 during the prevalence of the Southwest Monsoon north of the Equator, 

 we have the Southeast Monsoon south of the Equator ; and when the 

 Northeast Monsoon blows north of the Equator, the Northwest 

 Monsoon prevails south. 



This latter Monsoon extends from the 50th degree of east longitude 

 to the east, across the Indian Ocean, through the Banda and Java 

 Seas, passes by New Guinea, and into the Pacific, at times as far as 

 the longitude of 140° west. 



The boundary of this Monsoon in the Indian Ocean is not 

 throughout on the 11th parallel ; but towards the Island of Mada- 

 gascar, and at its extreme eastern limit in this ocean it extends 

 several degrees farther to the south, forming a considerable curve ; a 

 calm belt lies between it and the Southeast Trade Wind. This 



95 



