618 
MR. H. F. BLANFORD ON THE WINDS OF NORTHERN INDIA. 
higher level flows eastward above the Ghats, and descends on the hilly country east and 
north of Nagpore. The other branch, coming from the Bay of Bengal, holds its course 
at a lower level over Eastern Bengal, and then the major portion, curving to the west 
and north-west, blows on the south face of the Himalaya, and, flowing off sideways, 
probably meets the Arabian-Sea current along a line indicated by a ridge of high mean 
pressure at the ground surface. This line passes through Boorkee, Lucknow, Benares, 
and Cuttack, and coincides with the axis of the stream of cold air from Upper India. 
The east or north-east monsoon of the Wynegunga plain and the north-west monsoon of 
Lower Bengal radiate out from this ridge of pressure and flow away as very gentle 
currents, in the one case towards the Arabian Sea, in the other to the Bay of Bengal. 
A portion of the Bengal anti-monsoon current probably flows north-eastwards to Assam, 
where it brings rain, and feeds the Assam and East Himalayan branch of the north-east 
monsoon ; but further evidence is required to establish the existence of this current. 
This double system of upper and lower currents will be rendered more comprehensible 
by the annexed woodcut (fig. 4), on which the upper currents are shown by dotted, the 
lower by continuous lines. 
Fig. 4. Lower and Upper winds N.E. monsoon. 
The evidence on which the above description is based may be briefly summed up as 
follows : — First, the course of the winds in the lower atmosphere as shown by the wind- 
registers. The cold dry north-west current, which begins in Upper India, increases in 
steadiness and strength, probably therefore in volume, as it moves towards Western 
Bengal. It increases also as the season advances. This is shown by the following 
velocities registered at stations on or near the central course of the current, and extracted 
from the wind Tables given at the end of this paper : Calcutta, it should be remarked, 
lies at a lower level than Hazareebagh ; and it is probable that after passing the plateau 
of Western Bengal, the current does not descend completely to the low level of the delta, 
but more frequently holds on its course at the elevation it has already attained. 
