570 
ME. H. E. BLANEORD ON THE WINDS OE NORTHERN INDIA. 
the daytime, and at Benares (judging at least from one year’s register) between nine 
and ten times as frequent*. Nevertheless, after making due allowance for this difference 
in the comprehensiveness of the Tables, Patna still appears to equal Roorkee and surpass 
all other stations in the stillness of its atmosphere ; hut the anemometric records of the 
mean diurnal movement of the air do not confirm this conclusion, and they are probably 
a safer guide than the column of recorded calms. The former show the average move- 
ment of the wind to be considerably greater than at Benares, and still more in excess of 
Roorkee. 
Winds from the north-west quarter are most frequent, being half as numerous again 
as those from west. East and north-east winds count second and third in relative 
frequency, and those from the eastern semicircle are equal to, or rather in excess of, 
those from westerly quarters. Winds from the south are very rare, and are almost 
restricted to the month of August ; but those from south-east are relatively more nume- 
rous, and those from south-west less numerous than at Benares. Northerly winds are 
twice as common as southerly. 
At all the stations of the Gangetic plain the winter season is that in which calms are 
most prevalent and the average movement of the winds is at a minimum, November 
being the month of greatest stillness at the highest stations. At Roorkee, in this season, 
the average direction of the wind is north-west, at Agra west-north-west or a little 
more northerly, at Benares west by north, and at Patna west-north-west. There is 
throughout this season a secondary maximum of winds from the opposite quarters,- — 
from south-east at Roorkee, and east at Agra and Benares ; and these winds, though 
quite subordinate to the principal currents from the westward, are of much importance 
to agriculture, since on them depends the occurrence of the winter rains and the fortune 
of the nibbee or winter crops. With the approach of the hot weather, the winds blow 
with greater force and steadiness from the westward ; calms become less frequent, and 
attain their annual minimum in April at Agra, in April and May at Patna, and in May 
and June at Benares and Roorkee. The wind blows from about the same direction as 
in the cold season ; but the westerly winds are now hot and exceedingly dry, and blow 
with great force during the heat of the day and the fall of the barometric tide. As the 
hot season advances, easterly winds gradually increase: at Patna and Roorkee this 
increase is very distinct as early ns April, chiefly from north-east at the former and 
south-east at the latter station; at Benares it occurs a month later from east; and at 
Agra it proceeds gradually from April onwards, accompanied, however, by an incursion 
of south-west winds in April. This last phenomenon will be again met with, more 
distinctly developed, at Ajmere. At Patna easterly winds preponderate as early as May ; 
* Night observations of the winds were not recorded in the North-western Provinces until lately. The 
proportions of calms in the day and night hours are as follows : — 
Patna 276 day, 559 night ... 1 year. 
Benares 37 „ 358 ,, ... 1 „ 
Roorkee .... 156 „ 408 „ ... 8 months. 
