ME. H. F. BLANFOED ON THE WINDS OF NOETHEEN INDIA. 
569 
on the river; the station is 550 feet above sea-level. The third (Benares), 320 miles 
east-south-east from Agra and 150 miles from the foot of the Himalaya, is also situated 
near the southern edge of the plain, the bounding escarpment of the Bundelkund 
plateau (or eastern extension of that of Malwa) being only about 20 miles to the south 
of the station. Benares is situated on the north bank of the river, and 255 feet above 
the sea. Lastly, Patna (or more correctly the civil station of Bankipore), below the 
confluence of the Sone and Ganges, 180 miles east and a little north of Benares, stands 
in the midst of the great alluvial plain of Behar, at an elevation of 172 feet. 
The wind-registers of the three first-named stations extend over a period of from six 
to seven years, and comprise day observations only, as in the cas,e of the Punjab stations. 
That of Patna includes four years and eight months’ observations, of which 11 months 
give day observations only, and the remainder the 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. observations in 
addition. The Patna observations are unfortunately vitiated to a considerable extent 
by the observer’s omission to record calms, except during the last twelve months of the 
period. I have therefore, in computing the percentage Table, taken the proportion of 
calms in these twelve months as an average, and reduced the number of recorded winds 
in previous years in relative proportion. The result, if not quite satisfactory, is at least 
less erroneous than it would otherwise have been. 
The continuous chain of the Himalaya, skirting the northern edge of the Gangetic 
plain, determines in a great measure the direction of its prevailing winds. At Roorkee,. 
where this influence is most directly felt, and where the neighbouring hill-chains run 
almost due north-west and south-east, the winds from these two quarters greatly exceed 
those from all other directions, and are of nearly equal frequency, amounting together 
to 38 per cent, of the observations; of the remainder, not less than 41 - 5 per cent, are 
calms. At Agra the influence of the Himalayan range is less marked, and the pre- 
vailing winds are modified by other causes. Next to calms (25 per cent.), west winds 
are most numerous (23- 3 per cent.), and north-west and east winds stand next in 
frequency, being respectively 10-3 and 10 - 5 per cent. North and north-east winds are 
about equally frequent (between 7 and 8 per cent.), and those from the southerly semi- 
circle are less frequent, amounting altogether to only 15 per cent, of the observations. 
At this station that predominance of westerly winds which has already been remarked 
at the Punjab stations is very distinct. 
At Benares the proportion of calms becomes reduced to 7 per cent., and the mean 
movement of the air is nearly half as great again as at Roorkee. The winds from the 
several quarters have nearly the same relative frequency as at Agra. Thus west winds 
maintain their preponderance (30 - 5 per cent.), and east and north-west winds stand 
next in order. South and south-east winds are of rare occurrence ; but there is a slight 
relative increase of south-west winds, which here form 9*3 per cent, of the observations. 
At Patna the proportion of calms to winds, as given in the Table, greatly exceeds 
that at any other station ; but the great excess is in part due to the inclusion of night 
observations. At both Patna and Roorkee calms are twice as frequent at night as in 
